Under the Clothes
by Must Write Tart
Summary: Living in Miami, Stephanie has taken on a new life for herself. Filled with love, drama, and angst, come see what secrets and surprises she has to share!
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Well, here we are. Off on another adventure! Welcome to Woody Wednesday's! Yes, I'll be posting on Wednesday's and this is a story about Steph & Woody. If you don't like that paring, then turn back now... this is your only warning. As usual, this is an AU, slightly OOC story. (Can you tell I don't like to stick to the books?). Everyone is in their early twenties (although Steph starts out at 19)._

_I'd like to thank Amy (Stephfan6511) for all her help with this newest adventure. Thank you for beta'ing and helping with suggestions. I really REALLY appreciate it!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 1:<strong>

The lights dimmed as music began playing softly in the background. The announcer came across the speaker, "You are in for a real treat tonight. Please put your hands together and help me welcome Angle back to the stage."

As the clapping thundered through the club, Angel took the stage wearing a black trench coat and a top hat. Her long curly brunette hair cascaded down her back. The stage lights came up and when the music started booming, Angel flipped the hat off her head and tossed it to one of the front tables. The patrons all cheered as the brown haired man put the hat on his head.

Angel danced around the stage while slowly untying her trench coat. With her back to the audience, she looked over her left shoulder and slipped the coat down. Flashing a smile to the man with her hat, she tossed the coat to the edge of the stage and grabbed the pole.

Using her upper arm strength, she danced on the pole like no one had ever seen before. As she slid down the pole, money was flying up on the stage. Angel began dancing to the edges of the stage in her black g-string and nipple covers. Men were stuffing bills in her g-string left and right.

Stopping in front of the table where her hat had landed, she smiled as six of the seven men fought over who would get to her first. Moving to the next table, Angel winked at the brown haired man one last time. After stopping near the fourth table, the lights died down and Angel left the stage.

The men's cheers echoed backstage as Angle grabbed her robe to cover up. "Man, is it wild out there tonight?" she yelled at another stripped who called herself Crystal.

"No shit girl," answered Crystal while showing Angel her stack of bills. "Did you see the men at table two?"

Angle smiled, "Oh yeah! One of them still has my hat."

Crystal winked at Angel and walked around her, "Are you going on again tonight?"

"No, I'm done for the night. Time to clean up and go home to see J.T."

"Okay, well, I have one more dance in an hour and then I'm done. I'll see you tomorrow," Crystal said as she headed to the front.

OOO

"Dude, she was freaking hot!" grinned Lester. "You are one lucky ass mother fucker catching her hat."

Woody looked at Lester and smiled, "Yeah, I am." Woody headed towards the front of the club when Bobby stopped him.

"Where are you going?" questioned Bobby.

"To return the ladies hat," Woody told him with a huge grin and a wink.

The men all watched Woody approach the bartender. "Excuse me," he said.

The bartender nodded at him, "What can I get ya?"

"I'd like to return Angel's hat to her." Woody looked around the club, "But, I don't see her."

"She's in the back. I can give it to her for ya," the bartender said as he wiped the counter.

"I'd actually like to return it to her personally if she's okay with that," Woody told him.

The bartender looked over at the huge bald black man standing by the door to the back rooms. "Tank," he yelled, "tell Angel her hat wishes to be returned personally."

Woody watched the mountain of a man nod and disappear through the locked door. Looking back at the bartender, Woody said, "Name fits him, huh?"

A few moments later, Woody saw the door open as Tank and Angel stepped through. Angel spotted Woody holding her hat and strode toward him.

When Angel stopped in front, Woody held the hat out, "Ma'am," he said with a small smile, "I wanted to return this to you."

Smiling, Angel took the hat, "Thank you." Looking toward the stage she asked, "Are you enjoying the show tonight?"

"I very much enjoyed your show, Ma'am," he replied. "Not really paid much attention to any after you."

Angel blushed and looked at the table filled with the friends of the man standing in front of her. "Looks like they stopped watching the stage, too."

Woody looked at the table and saw six sets of eyes looking his way. "They're just jealous," he laughed.

Angel stepped closer, "Well, let's give them something else to be jealous of, shall we?" she said as she leaned forward and kissed Woody's cheek.

The table erupted in cheers and they all raised their glasses at the exchange. "Are you here celebrating something tonight, or just a night out?"

Leaning against the bar, Woody told her, "Celebrating. Three of my friends and I just returned from our second tour in Iraq. We all applied for a job at the same security firm and were all hired today. We wanted to celebrate and three of our future co-workers said they knew just the place." Looking at Angel and winking, he continued, "I must say they were right."

"Well, I'm glad you made it back in one piece. Have fun celebrating and congratulations on the job." Angle put her hat on her head, "Thanks again for returning my hat."

"My pleasure, Ma'am," Woody told her as she began to turn around.

Looking over her shoulder, she smiled at Woody, "Name's Angel, not Ma'am." As she walked away, hollered back, "I hope to see you again."

Woody smiled to himself and said, "You can count on it."

OOO

It had been a week since Woody had had a chance to return to The Play House. He'd been partnered with Lester on a few takedowns and installs and had gotten to know him pretty well. Lester kept things interesting during the workday and Woody had to admit, there was never a boring moment around Les.

Lester stopped into Woody's cube, "How about a drink tonight? Celebrate last night's take down?"

Woody looked at Lester, "The Play House?" Lester grinned and nodded. "I'm in."

When the two men were off work, they headed to The Play House. "Think Angel will be there tonight?" Les asked Woody.

"I sure hope so," Woody replied with his southern drawl.

Walking up to the door, Woody saw the bald black man standing guard. "Tank, right?" he asked him.

Tank looked at Woody and Lester and nodded once.

Woody wondered if the man knew how to speak, but figured it best not to ask. "Just remember you from the other night is all."

Tank stood with his arms folded across his chest. He remembered the guy but he had no reason to keep up a conversation.

Les looked at the mountain, "Can you tell us if Angel is working tonight?"

"I can," Tank replied.

Les waited and finally asked, "Well?" Tank stared at the blond haired man with spiky hair. "Are you going to tell us?"

"No."

"Why not? You said you could."

"I can. But I never said I would," Tank told them.

Les and Woody nodded and walked inside. The music was pumping and a red headed girl was on stage. Lester and Woody found a table up front and sat down.

Five minutes later, Woody heard the voice he'd come looking for. "Evening gentlemen. Can I get you a drink?"

Woody turned around and stared at Angel who was wearing a white low-cut button up shirt tied at the waist and a very short denim skirt. Smiling he answered, "Corona, please."

Lester said, "Make that two, Beautiful."

Angel smiled at the men, "Two Corona's coming up." When she returned, she sat Lester's in front of him and Woody's in front of him. Running her hand across Woody's shoulder, she whispered, "Let me know if I can get you anything else."

After she walked off, Les smirked, "Dude, I think she likes you."

Angel served the other three tables that were occupied before returning to the bar. "Man, it's slow tonight."

"Don't say that, Little Girl," she heard from behind her.

Shrieking, she turned around and punched Tank in his arm, "Good Lord, how many times do I have to tell you not to sneak up on me like that!" she scolded him.

"Sorry, Angel. It's too easy to do." Grabbing a handful of pretzels, he looked at the table up front and back to the beauty in front of him, "I see your admirer is back."

"Oh stop. It's only the second time I've seen him here," she blushed.

"Yeah, but they asked if you specifically were working tonight," he told her.

Angel looked back at the table that Woody and Lester were sitting at and smiled, "Hey Todd, I'm going to take a break."

Todd, the bartender, nodded and smiled as he watched her walk to the table up front. Tank and Todd had known Angel for the two and half years she lived in Miami. They took her under their wing when they found her living on the streets just outside the club. Todd took her in as a tenant while Tank looked after her as a big brother.

Walking up to the table, Angel tapped Woody on the shoulder, "Mind if I sit with you guys for a little bit?"

Woody stood up and pulled a chair out for her, "No, Ma'am. We'd enjoy your company."

"Now, now. What did I tell you last week?" she asked him. When she saw his confused look, she laughed, "I told you it's Angel, not Ma'am."

"I'm sorry, Ma…Angel. It's just my upbringing."

"Well, don't call me Ma'am. Makes me feel old," she laughed.

Lester stood up, "If you'll excuse me, I need to hit the head." As he walked off, Woody looked at Angel and smiled.

"So, how long have you worked here?" he asked her.

"Just over a year and half," she smiled. "How long have you been in the…You know, you never said what branch of the military you were in."

"I'm a Marine," he told her proudly. "I've been in since I was eighteen."

Trying to figure out how old he was, she pressed on, "And how long ago was that?"

"Just about two years ago, Andeo*. I'll be twenty in five weeks," he told her as Lester made his way back to the table.

Angel looked up as the door opened and more patrons walked in, "I hate to cut this short, but I need to get back to work. I'm waitressing until it's time to take the stage." As she stood up, she looked down at Woody, "Will you be staying for my show?"

"Most definitely," smiled Lester.

Woody nodded, "I wouldn't miss it."

Angel grabbed the empty beer bottles, and walked to the bar, "Two more, Todd." Taking the bottles back to Lester and Woody, she sat them down and thought for a moment, "I never caught your names," she told them.

"I'm Lester," he said puffing out his chest and wagging his eyebrows.

"Woody," he said as he offered his hand. When she accepted his, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed the top of it. "Nice to meet you," he said causing her to blush.

"I should get back to work. Maybe I'll see you later," she winked at Woody as she left.

OOO

When Angel was done with her dance, she changed clothes and grabbed her bag to head home. Stepping through the door and into the bar area, she was surprised to see Woody still waiting for her.

"Woody," she smiled.

"Hi, Andeo*. Awesome performance tonight."

"Thank you." She looked over at Todd, "Do you need me tomorrow? I know Crystal said she might be taking the night off."

"Nope, we're all set. You and Joshua have a good night tomorrow."

Woody couldn't help but wonder who Joshua was; he knew it was too good to be true that the beautiful women he'd stayed to see would be free.

"Oh we will. He wants to go to the zoo tomorrow," she laughed. Looking back at Tank, she hollered, "Are you coming with us?" Woody began to wonder just how close Angel and Tank were.

Tank shook his head slightly, "I don't do zoos."

Angel laughed and turned back to Woody, "He's a wimp," she whispered, causing Woody to laugh out loud.

"May I walk you to your car?" he asked her. When he saw her nod her head, he offered her his arm and led her to the door. Once they were in the parking lot, he felt eyes watching them. Looking around, he noticed Tank had followed them out of the building. "Over protective?" he questioned Angel.

"Protective, yes. Over protective, no. He takes his job very seriously. He doesn't like when one of us girls leaves without him walking us to our car. Besides, he's also like my big brother." Angel turned around and waived to Tank, "See you in a few days, Big Guy." Tank nodded and stood next to the building to make sure she arrived to her car safely.

When they reached Angel's car, Woody took her keys, walked to the back, and opened the trunk. While she placed her bag in the trunk, he took a quick glance in the backseat and noticed a car seat strapped in.

Shutting the trunk, Angel looked at Woody and saw where he was looking. Taking a deep breath, she told him, "He's two."

Startled by being caught, he turned to face her, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have looked."

"It's okay," she replied. "He's not a secret; at least not to people who know me. As for the patrons of the club, I prefer to keep my private life separate."

Woody nodded, "I can understand that. I won't ask questions so you don't feel pressured to answer."

Angel looked at her watch and sighed, "I really need to get home. The sitter has class in the morning."

"Be careful going home," Woody told her as he opened her driver door, "When do you work again?"

Looking down at the ground, Angel decided to take a chance and do something she didn't normally do. "How would you feel about meeting up outside of my job?"

Woody felt his heart begin to race as he answered, "I'd love that. I'd like to be able to sit down and talk with you without everyone else around. Somewhere where we can be free to talk."

Reaching in her purse, Angel found a blank piece of paper and a pen, "Here," she said as she wrote her name and number on the paper. "When you feel up for it, give me a call. I only work evening and nights, so my days are free. I just need to have a few days notice so I can get a sitter."

Woody took the paper, read it, and looked up at her with confusion in his eyes. Seeing the look, she laughed, "What? Did you really think Angel was my real name?" When he nodded, she reminded him, "I don't give out personal information to the patrons." Slipping into her car, she smiled up, "Give me a call sometime."

As he shut her door, he smiled down at her, "Count on it, Stephanie."

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><p>*Andeo is Croatia for Angel.<p>

_Well, there you have it. The beginning of my newest adventure. I hope you like the first chapter and will be aroound for the entire story. Hit the link and let me know what you think! I'll be back next week for Woody Wednesday!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you Amy (Stephfan6511) for all your help with this story... with out you, this probalby still wouldn't have a great name!_

_Thank you all for the reviews and messages... I hope you'll continue to enjoy my story... don't worry, questions will be answered in time!_

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><p>Stephanie opened her door and found her living room transformed into a camping site. Almost every blanket she owned had been used as a fort cover; chairs and cardboard boxes made the walls and secret entrances.<p>

Stepping through the door, she saw the babysitter sitting at the kitchen table. Smiling and sneaking past the complex fort, Stephanie made her way to the table and sat down. "Hey, whatcha working on, Lu?"

"Just my paper for English. How was work?"

"It was… great," Stephanie replied as she grabbed the paper from the sitter.

"Was Tank working tonight?" she asked.

Laughing, Stephanie nodded, "Yeah, Lula, he was working tonight."

"Oh man, one of these day's I'm just gonna have to get my courage up and say hi to that fine specimen."

Stephanie tried to stifle her laugh, as she didn't want to wake her son up. "Whose idea for the fort, or do I even need to ask?"

"Oh it was all his. I at least kept him from dragging the blankets off your bed this time. I think he's asleep in the red tower," Lula replied as she packed her books up.

"Thanks for sitting him tonight. I'm off tomorrow, so we'll see you this weekend?" Stephanie asked as she began cleaning up the kitchen.

"Yeah, I'll be here Friday at noon. Me and J Man have some coloring to do," Lula laughed as she checked under the red blanket. Seeing Joshua fast asleep with his thumb in his mouth made her smile, "He's sleeping sound," she said as she grabbed her jacket.

"Thanks, Lu. I'll see you Friday." After Lula left, Stephanie changed into her t-shirt and shorts, grabbed her pillow, and crawled under the red tower to snuggle up with her son. As she brushed his hair out of his face, she kissed his forehead and whispered, "Always remember, you are my I love you," before closing her eyes.

OOO

Fighting back a laugh, Stephanie opened her left eye to find her son prying her right eye open. "J.T., what are you doing?" she asked.

"You wake?" he questioned her.

"I am now," she told him as she pulled him down to her. "And I'm in a tickle mood," she giggled as she began tickling his sides.

"Mommy, stop. I gotta potty," he said through his laughter.

"Are you still dry?" she asked. They had been working on potty training since just before his second birthday and he'd been doing well the past few weeks.

"I dry," he yelled as he moved away from his mother.

Stephanie let him go and watched as he crawled through the fort to run down the hall to the bathroom. While he was in the restroom, Stephanie made her way to the kitchen and began working on pancakes and coffee.

"Panakes?" came the little voice from behind Stephanie.

Turning around, she picked J.T. up, hugged him, and ruffled his blond hair. "Yes, I'm making chocolate chip pancakes this morning."

"YAY!" he squealed as he hugged his mother tight. "Ove you."

"I love you, too, baby." She sat him back down and flipped the pancakes before they burned. Turning around she smiled at her son as she watched him climb up into his booster seat. "Milk or juice?"

"Both?" he asked. She had no idea where he got his appetite from; he had no problems eating his fruits and veggies. Loved his milk and juice; and yet had no problem eating what everyone would consider unhealthy. Yet, he was as healthy as any kid his age and he was full of energy.

When the pancakes were ready, she sat them down on the table and grabbed his milk and juice cups from the fridge. Getting ready to cut up the pancakes, she had to stop when her phone rang.

Looking at the caller id, she laughed when she answered, "Morning, Big Guy. What can I do ya for?"

"Just wanted to make sure you made it home," came Tank's gruff voice.

"Oh please! If you wanted to make sure I made it home, you'd have called ten minutes after I left. What you really wanted to see is if I allowed him to come home with me last night," she scoffed at him.

"Well, is he there?"

"Pierre Joshua Williams, how dare you!" she yelled in the phone. "You know me better than that, or at least I thought you did," she said as she hung up.

J.T. looked at her and asked, "Mr. T make you mad?"

Wiping her eyes, she smiled a sad smile at her son, "Yes, baby, he upset me, but that's okay. Let's eat."

Just as she picked up her fork, her phone rang again. Deciding to ignore it, she took a bite and smiled at J.T.

"Mommy, you phone," he told her.

"It's okay, sweetie. I'm going to let it ring. I don't want to talk to anyone right now."

After breakfast was done and the dishes were cleared, Stephanie took J.T. to his room, "I need you to pick out your clothes so we can get ready to leave for the day."

"Where to?" he asked as he looked for his favorite shirt.

"We're going to the zoo."

"YEAH! I love zoos," he squealed as he flung his guitar shirt across the room.

OOO

Stephanie and J.T. spent the entire afternoon at the zoo. On the way home, J.T. fell asleep and Stephanie knew if she stopped the car, he'd wake up, so she drove around Miami for a few hours, letting her son get the rest he needed.

As she jumped on the highway to head towards home, her phone vibrated against her hip. Pulling it off, she looked at the display and answered, "Tank."

"I didn't mean to piss you off this morning, Steph. I know you wouldn't have taken him home with you. I'm sorry."

"You know, I was really hurt by your comment this morning. You were my first friend here and then you say that shit. I thought you knew me," she sighed.

"I'm sorry, Angel." He sounded defeated as he hung up and she knew he really was sorry. Angel was the name Tank had given her when he first found her. She was sleeping on the street behind The Play House when he'd left one night.

_Tank walked up to her, hands up showing he wasn't a threat, and saw that she was just a young woman. "Hey there. What are you doing out here?"_

_She sat up and looked at him. Her face covered with the day's dirt and grime. All she had with her was one duffel bag stuffed with what clothes she was able to grab. "I was sleeping until you woke me up," she growled at him._

_Laughing, Tank extended a hand, "Come on, let's get you cleaned up and fed." She took his hand and allowed him to lead her into the club. He showed her the bathroom and gave her some towels from behind the counter. While she cleaned up, Tank grabbed some food from the backroom and heated it up for her. Turning around, he saw she had come out of the bathroom and looked better than she had ten minutes prior._

"_Here, have some food," he told her as he pushed the plate down the bar._

"_Thank you," she muttered. _

_As she ate the food, Tank sat down next to her, "What's your name, Angel?" When she refused to tell him her name, he sighed, "Okay, I'll just call you Angel until you figure out you can trust me."_

_When she was done with her food, he led her to his car and drove her over to Todd's place. Knocking on the door, Tank placed a hand on her shoulder, "Don't be nervous. They own the club we were just at and they'll have a place for you to crash for the night." _

_The door opened to reveal Todd standing there looking. "Tank, what can I do for you?"_

"_Todd, Angel here was sleeping on the street behind the club. I gave her some food and a cloth to clean up with, but she needs a place to stay."_

"_She'll stay here for the night," came a soft voice from behind Todd. As he turned, Stephanie saw a woman in her thirties. "Come with me, dear, we have a spare bedroom you can borrow for the night."_

_As the woman led Stephanie up the stairs, she heard Tank and Todd whispering. Opening the door, the woman told Stephanie, "My name is Mary. What's yours?"_

_Stephanie looked at her feet and muttered, "Angel."_

_Mary looked at Stephanie and nodded, "When you're ready you can tell us your real name. There is no reason to be scared around us; we won't hurt you." As Mary pulled the covers back on the bed, she looked at Stephanie's profile and asked, "How far along are you?"_

_Stephanie's hand instinctively went to her growing belly, "How did you know?"_

"_Oh sweetheart, I've been pregnant before and I've seen plenty of pregnant girls. You are just starting to show." Mary sat down and patted the space next to her on the bed._

_Sitting down, Stephanie began wringing her fingers as she spoke, "Four and a half months."_

"Mommy," J.T. said bringing Stephanie out of her daze.

"Yes, baby?"

"Hungee," he told her as he clutched his puppy to him.

Looking in the rearview mirror, she smiled at her son. "We'll be home in just a few, okay baby?"

"Kay," he said as he stuck his thumb in his mouth.

Seeing what he'd done, Stephanie sighed, "J.T., how many times do I have to tell you not to suck on your thumb?" She watched as he pulled his thumb from his mouth and pouted.

OOO

J.T. had been fed, bathed, and in bed for forty minutes when Stephanie sat down to watch a little T.V. As she reached for the remote, her phone rang. Grabbing it off the table, she looked at the display and didn't recognize the number. She was about to let it go to voice mail, but decided to answer it instead.

"Hello?"

"Stephanie?" came a voice on the other end.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

She heard the man on the other end of the phone clear his throat, "Ma'am, it's Woody," he told her with his southern accent shining through.

"Woody," she smiled. "How are you?"

"I'm doing good, Andeo. How are you tonight?" he questioned as his heart rate slowly returned to normal.

"I'm well. I'll admit, I'm a little surprised to hear from you."

"Why's that? I told you I'd call you. I just didn't want to interrupt your day or I'd have called sooner," he told her. She could hear the rustling of paper on his end and wondered what he was doing.

Standing up to get a glass of water, she told him "Well, honestly, I figured after you saw the car seat in the back of my car that would have scared you off. Not many men want anything to do with a kid."

"Oh darlin', I'm not like the rest of the men. Kids don't scare me," he laughed.

Hearing his laugh made her smile. He had a catchy laugh and she couldn't help but laugh with him, "Well, I'm glad you called."

"How was your day at the zoo?" he asked as she heard him typing on a keyboard.

"It was fun," she replied. "Are you working?" she asked when she heard another voice in the background.

"Yeah, I'm on nights tonight," he told her. "I hope I'm not calling too late."

"Oh no…."

They talked on the phone for almost two hours before she told Woody she needed to go. It was past her bedtime and she was getting tired.

"Good night, Woody, and thank you for the call. I really enjoyed talking with you."

"I enjoyed it as well, Andeo. Maybe I can see you tomorrow?"

Stephanie thought for a moment before replying, "I'd like that. I work at two but the sitter will be here around noon."

"How about lunch at twelve thirty?" When Stephanie agreed to lunch, she could hear Woody let out a breath. She could hear the smile in his voice when he told her, "Ja ne mogu cekati do sutra."

Unable to understand him, she laughed, "What did you just say?"

"Sorry. I said I can't wait until tomorrow."

Shaking her head, Stephanie replied, "Tomorrow, you'll have to tell me what language you're speaking."

"I'll make sure to do that. I'll call you tomorrow around noon and we can set up some place for lunch. Good night, Andeo."

"Good night, Woody," she said as she hung up the phone with a smile.


	3. Chapter 3

It's Woody Wednesday! Hope you like chapter 3! I'm behind on my replies to reviews (was without internet over the weekend), but I'll get to them today!

As always, a huge thank you to stephfan6511 for all her help in this story. I really appreciate it!

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><p>Stephanie heard the knock at her door as she walked through the living room. Peeking out the window, she saw Lula standing there with her book bag. She opened the door and smiled, "Come on in, Lu."<p>

"Hope I ain't too early. Told J Man I'd be here early so we could get started on our masterpieces," she joked.

"Oh, he's all set. He has all of his coloring books on the floor and the crayon boxes are on the table," Stephanie told her as she shut the door. Just as she was about to say something else to Lula, her phone rang. Looking at the display, she saw it was a Woody's number and her heart skipped a beat, "Hi," she said as she answered with a smile.

Lula didn't miss the smile and she wondered who was on the other end; she'd never seen Stephanie answer the phone with a smile.

"Hi there, Andeo. I hope I'm not calling too early," he told her and she could hear the doubt in his voice.

"No, not too early at all," she said as she grabbed her purse. "The babysitter just arrived and I was getting ready to head out." Lula watched as Stephanie couldn't stop smiling and knew it was a man on the other end.

"Are we still on for lunch?"

"Absolutely! Where?"

"Well, as I'm fairly new around here, I figured I'd leave the location up to you."

Stephanie mentally smacked her forehead, of course he didn't know the area that much. "Tell you what, you pick the cuisine and I'll pick the place."

Woody thought for a moment and knew what he wanted, "I want a greasy cheeseburger."

"Seriously? That's the best you can come up with?" she laughed.

"Well, you need to understand that my boss is a 'no junk food' type of boss. And, being overseas, I've not had a good greasy burger in a few years."

Stephanie thought for a moment, "How greasy we talkin'?"

"The greasier the better, Darlin'," Woody smiled into the phone.

"Ok, I know just the place. It's a small place, but man they are the greasiest around. It's called Tom's Happy Burger." Stephanie gave him the address and hung up after agreeing to meet him there in twenty minutes.

Turning around, she saw Lula standing there looking at her, "What?" she squeaked out.

"Girl, you had a man on the phone!" Stephanie nodded. "In the two years I've known you, you ain't ever had a man on the phone." Lula looked down the hall to see J.T.'s door still shut, "Did you meet him at work?"

Stephanie didn't answer, but looked away. "Oh shit, you did! You met a man at work and gave him your number. Girl, I know you need to get laid and shit, but you ain't never done this before. What gives?" Lula wanted Stephanie to be happy, but also worried about her giving her information to the clientele of the club.

"It's okay, Lu. Yes, I met him at work. He's been in there a few times and we've talked when he's been there. He's taking me out to lunch."

Lula clucked her tongue a few times and shook her head, "I don't know, Steph. You've always said you'd never mix work and pleasure, but it seems like what you're doing now."

"Lula, I'll be careful. I know I don't know him, but there is something that tells me he's safe. I can't explain it, but I don't think he'd hurt me."

Lula looked at Stephanie for a moment and nodded, "Okay, just let me know when I can meet him."

Stephanie smiled, nodded, and went to J.T.'s room to tell him that she'd see him when she got home from work. He gave her a hug and kiss and ran out to find Lula… he was ready to color.

OOO

Pulling into the parking lot, Stephanie noticed a black Escalade behind her. She found a parking spot and looked up to see the Escalade parked directly behind her. When she stepped from her vehicle, she saw Woody angling out of the black vehicle. Smiling, she walked up to him, "I see you found it with no problem."

"No problems at all, Darlin'," he told her as he leaned over to kiss her cheek.

Looking in the truck, Stephanie saw someone in the passenger side, "Who do you have with you?"

"Oh, Les is with me. We're working today," he told her as he tried to steer her to the restaurant.

"Well, doesn't he want to come in for some lunch?" she asked.

"Nope, he'll eat his lunch out here. This is our date; just the two of us," he told her as he opened the door.

"Are you sure? I don't want him to be lonely. I don't mind sharing lunch with the both of you."

Leaning in so he could whisper in her ear, Woody told her, "I mind. I don't want to share our alone time with anyone yet."

Stephanie felt a shiver go down her back as she fought off a groan. When they were seated, she saw a familiar face walking over to her, "Angel, this isn't your usual time of day, what gives?"

Smiling, she replied, "I know. I'm here on a lunch date." She smiled at Woody and introduced him, "Tom, this is Woody. Woody, this is Tom, Todd's brother."

Woody looked up at Tom, shook his hand, and noticed the resemblance from the man at the club. Tom looked at Steph, "Usual?"

"Of course!"

Looking at Stephanie, Woody asked her, "What's the usual?"

"Cheeseburger with mayo and ketchup. Large fries with a cup of mayo and some ketchup. Large Coke and a Chocolate shake."

Woody smiled and shook his head, "Sounds good to me, minus the mayo for the fries."

Stephanie grinned, "Don't knock the mayo on fries until you've tried it. It's wonderful!"

Tom turned from the table, but before he walked off, he looked back at Stephanie, "Taking Tank his usual?" Stephanie nodded and Tom took off for the kitchen.

Looking at Woody, Stephanie figured it was as good a time as any to begin the questions, "So, Woody, tell me about you. Where are you from, what do you like, etc?"

Taking a sip from his water glass, he thought about where to begin. "Well, I was born in Texas, but when I was seven, my pop was relocated to Croatia."

"Military as well?" she interrupted.

"Yeah, but he was Army. We stayed there until he was killed when I was sixteen."

Stephanie reached over and grabbed his hand, "I'm sorry."

Woody smiled at her and continued, "My ma moved me and my siblings back to Texas. When I was seventeen, I headed to the recruiting center and signed myself up. Knew I wanted to be a Marine. On my eighteenth birthday, I walked in, grabbed my gear, and headed out for boot camp."

Stephanie grinned, "How did your family feel about that?"

Woody shrugged, "Well, Ma was pissed as all get out. She couldn't understand why I wanted to do it. My sisters all sided with Ma. But, my bothers. Well, let's just say they thought I was going to go "kill the fuckers that killed pop." I tried telling everyone that this was something I'd wanted ever since I could remember; I just never voiced my wishes."

Stephanie swallowed her bite and asked, "Are they okay with it now?"

Woody nodded, "Yeah, they are. Anyway, I did a couple of tours in Iraq, and if you remember, I'd just gotten back a few nights ago."

Stephanie smiled, "I remember. You and some buddies were celebrating." Woody nodded. "So, you mentioned siblings. How many?"

"I'm one of seven," he told her.

"Holy shit! SEVEN? Wow, your parents must have loved each other a lot."

"Yeah, they did."

"So," she said as she took a sip of her drink, "where do you fall in line?"

Woody laughed, "Right smack dab in the middle! I have two sisters and a brother older than me and two brothers and a sister younger."

"Are you close with your siblings?" she asked. She imagined he'd say yes and she wasn't disappointed.

"I'm very close with them. I never miss a week of talking to them."

Tom carried over their food and sat it in front of them, "There ya go. The Tank Special will be done soon."

Stephanie laughed and almost choked on her drink, "Does Tank know you named it that?"

Tom grinned and shook his head, "Nope, and if you know what's good for you, you won't tell him."

"I won't. I promise." Stephanie thought for a moment, "Hey, Tom. Can you throw on a second Tank Special?"

Tom looked at Stephanie like she'd lost her mind, "He only eats one and he'll be here later."

"No, not for him. I have another friend that could use a lunch." Tom nodded and headed to the kitchen.

After watching her mix the ketchup and mayo, Woody told her, "It's your turn. Where are you from?"

Swallowing her first fry, she replied, "Trenton, New Jersey."

"You're a little far from home, too, huh?"

Shrugging, Stephanie replied, "Home is where you make it. I just happened to make Miami my home."

Woody studied her for a moment while trying to decide how to ask his next questions. Taking a fry and dipping it in her ketchup and mayo mix, he finally asked, "What made you decide to leave Trenton?"

Stephanie watched as he ate the fry with her mixture and smiled when he nodded. Struggling with how much to tell him, she found that she really wanted to be open and honest with him. She was also afraid of scaring him off.

Finally she started talking, "My parents weren't thrilled I was pregnant at sixteen. I was kicked out of the house with just the clothes on my back and whatever I could fit in my bag."

Woody sat there surprised by what Stephanie had told him. "They kicked you out?" She nodded. "At sixteen and with child?" Another nod. "Glupi ljudi."*

Before Steph had a chance to ask what he just said, Tom came over to clear the table. "How was the food?" he asked Woody.

"Fantastic," Woody replied as he winked at Stephanie.

"What's the damage?" he asked looking up at Tom.

Tom shook his head, "On the house today."

"I can't let you do that," argued Woody.

"Save it. Anytime I get to see Angel's beautiful face during the day, it's on the house." Tom looked at Stephanie and added, "As long as you are still going to be here tonight."

"Of course. You know I'd never miss that," she smiled at him.

"Then it's on the house. See you later tonight," Tom told her as he walked off.

Woody looked at Stephanie, "What's tonight?"

"Oh, all of us from The Play House, and that includes Todd, Tank, and Jeremiah, get together here on Friday. Tom closes the place around midnight. Those of us that aren't working will show up around twelve thirty and everyone else will show up when they are done working. We're usually all here by one. We eat and just sit back and chill out. We talk about our week, anything new, nothing all. We just have fun."

"That's nice that he lets you do it here," Woody smiled at her.

"Yeah, I guess he started doing that about three years ago. Now it's tradition." Stephanie looked at her watch, "Shit, I have to go soon."

"Too bad. I was hoping this time would go by slowly so I'd have more time with you," Woody told her as he reached for her hand. "Uzivao sam rucak s vama, Andeo."

"Okay," Stephanie said as she looked into his eyes, "You have to tell me what language you're speaking and what you said."

Woody laughed, "Well, I told you I spent years in Croatia. What I just said was I've enjoyed my lunch with you, Angel."

"Wow, I like hearing you speak like that," she said with a blush. Grabbing the sacks, she stood up, "I really need to get going. I'm sorry."

Woody stood up and walked with her to her vehicle. Seeing Lester still in the Escalade, he nodded at him and turned his attention back to Stephanie, "Be safe tonight, Andeo."

"I will be." Tossing her purse in her car and setting Tank's bag on the seat, she turned back to the Escalade. Walking over to the passenger side, she tapped on the window. When the window revealed Lester's face, she smiled and lifted the bag. "Felt bad that you didn't come eat with us, so I ordered you a to-go bag. I hope you'll enjoy."

Lester smiled and accepted the bag, "Thank you, Beautiful. I'm sure I'll enjoy it; it smells greasy!"

Stephanie walked back to her car and smiled up at Woody, "Thank you for lunch. I really enjoyed talking with you."

"I hope we can do it again soon," he told her as he helped her into her car.

Stephanie smiled up at him as she slid her sunglasses in place, "You have my number."

Woody stood there and watched as she drove out of the parking lot. Before he turned to the Escalade, he thought to himself, "Is it too soon to call for a second date?"

* Glupi ljudi = Stupid people

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><p>Leave me a review! See ya next Wednesday!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you to all the wonderful reviews and messages. If I didn't reply to you, then your PM settings are turned off :( Just know that I appreciate every review I've received!

As always, a huge thank you to stephfan6511 for all her help in this story. I really appreciate it!

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><p>Stephanie had just stepped from the shower when her phone rang. Looking at the display, she answered with a smile, "Hey there, Cowboy."<p>

Woody laughed, "Hey Darlin'. Is this a good time?"

"Give me a minute?" she asked. "I just stepped from the shower and need to put my robe on." After her she was covered, she picked the phone back up, "How are you?"

"I'm well. Sorry I'm not there," he told her as he settled back against the couch. "I'm stuck in Boston for two more weeks."

"Yeah, Lester came in to The Play House the other night and told me you left for training," she stated as she started the dishwasher.

"Oh he did, huh?" Woody closed his eyes and took a breath, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you myself before I left. There really wasn't time. I woke up and bossman shipped me off to Boston that morning. Said they had time to do some training."

"That's fine." She didn't want to admit that she was a little hurt he hadn't told her because that would mean admitting she was beginning to have feelings for him; however, she knew she would have rather heard it from him than from Lester.

"I miss you," Woody said after a few moments of silence. Before she had a chance to respond, he continued, "How about we play twenty-questions tonight?"

"Um, okay," she hesitantly replied.

"What's your full name?" Woody asked.

"Stephanie Michelle Plum. Yours?" she countered.

"David Michael Branson."

"David?" Stephanie questioned.

Woody let her think on it for a moment before he finally laughed, "Did you think my ma named me Woody?"

"Well, why else would you go by that?"

Woody smiled as he decided to let her in on his nickname. "Darlin', my momma began calling me Woody when I was a tyke. I used to sit in front of the television every morning and watch Woody Woodpecker cartoons. Those were, and still are, my favorite. When I joined the Marines, the name just stuck since I was already used to answering to it. I've just never gone back to my given name."

Stephanie laughed at the image of him watching Woody Woodpecker cartoons, "I've seen it a few times, but not a lot. My favorite was The Get Along Gang."

"I remember that one," Woody replied. "My favorite on there was Montgomery Moose. Let me guess; your favorite was probably, Woolma Lamb?"

"Nope," she snorted, "not even close. My favorite was Dotty Dog."

"Wow, Montgomery's second in command. I'm surprised. Too bad it only lasted about a dozen episodes."

"Fourteen to be exact," stated Stephanie.

Woody laughed that she knew exactly how many episodes there were of her favorite cartoon; even he didn't know how many there were of his favorite.

"My turn," Stephanie stated as she sunk into her favorite chair. "What's your favorite color?"

Woody had to think for a minute, "Well, I guess it depends on what the item is. For example, if it were a shirt that you were wearing, I'd have to say blue."

"Why's that?" she asked him.

"To match your beautiful eyes. What about you?"

"I guess I'd say the same as you; depends on the circumstance. Take for instance, the other day when we had lunch. I really enjoyed the black on you, but I think if it were a casual day, I'd like to see grey to match your eyes."

Stephanie and Woody talked for about another hour before he heard her begin to yawn. "Andeo, I should let you go get some sleep."

"No, I'm fine," she said fighting another yawn.

"You're tired, I can hear it. I need to get some rest as well. Another day of training tomorrow. Do you work tomorrow?"

Stephanie had to think for a moment and finally replied, "Yeah, I work four to close."

"Will you call me before you go to bed?" he asked.

"It'll be late," she protested but knew it wouldn't do any good. She knew if he asked her to call him, she'd be calling.

"I don't care what time it is, please call?"

Stephanie agreed to call him when she arrived home the next night before she told him, "Good night, David."

Woody sat on his couch stunned for a second before he finally found his voice to reply, "Good night, Steph."

OOO

Stephanie had three days off in a row and decided since it was nice outside, she'd take J.T. to the park. It was a toddler friendly park with a pirate ship that had two small slides and a sandbox on the inside. J.T. was in the sandbox digging for hidden treasure when Stephanie's phone rang.

Not looking at the display, she pulled the phone off her hip and answered, "Good afternoon."

"Someone is in a good mood," came the reply on the other end.

"David, is that you?" she joked.

"Yeah, yeah. It's me, Andeo. I'm sorry it's taken so long to call you. They worked my ass off in Boston and this is the first break I've had in two weeks."

"Mommy, look, me find tweasure," J.T. squealed as he showed her three rocks.

"Ohh, that's a lot of treasure," she smiled at him.

"Where are you?" Woody asked her.

"We are at the park for the afternoon. It's so nice out here and I have the next two nights off, so we are enjoying the day," Stephanie told him as she watched her son climb the stairs for the slide. "Where are you?"

"I'm out driving around, taking in the nice weather," Woody replied cryptically. "What park are you at?"

Stephanie watched J.T. slide down the bumpy slide and smiled. "We're at a park that is just south of The Play House. It's a small park and has a lot of toddler sized equipment, so it's perfect for my son."

"Do you have enough water and snacks? I know how much energy a boy can expend at a park."

"Yeah, I actually packed a picnic lunch for us. We've not been able to do this in a few months and I enjoy spending as much time with him as I can. He loves to be outdoors and, I have to admit, it's nice to see the sun shine."

"Yeah, I bet," Woody laughed.

She heard his car door shut through the phone and knew he had stopped driving, "Do you need to let me go? I heard a door, so I know you're not driving. If you're going in some place, I don't want to keep you on the phone," she rambled.

"Well, as much as I enjoy talking to you over the phone," he told her, "I'd much rather do it in person."

Stephanie felt someone tap her on the shoulder and she jumped. Spinning around, she came face to face with Woody. "Ohmigod, you're here?"

"Yeah," he replied as they hung up their phones. "I flew in last night and was actually out driving around enjoying the weather when I called. When you said you were at the park, I had to drive by to see you, but then I found I had to stop." Woody looked at the pirate ship with three little boys playing before turning back to Stephanie, "I hope you don't mind my stopping."

Shaking her head, Stephanie smiled, "I don't mind. I'm actually kind of glad. I've missed seeing you," she admitted before she could sensor herself.

Woody smiled as his heart soared, "I've missed seeing you as well."

Before they could say anything else, Woody heard a little voice, "Mommy. Mommy." Looking down, he saw a blond haired blue-eyed boy running up to Stephanie. "Duess what me find," he told her.

"More treasure?" Stephanie asked with a smile on her face.

"Nope. Worm! Can I put him in my pocket and take him home?"

Laughing, Stephanie shook her head and picked him up, "No, sweetie. But tell you what. Next time we come, we'll bring a dish of some sort so you can find worms and take them home."

"Okay," he replied as he looked at the man standing next to his mother.

"J.T., I'd like you to meet a friend of mine. This is Mr. Branson. Can you say hi?" J.T. buried his face in his mother's neck and clung to her body. "Hey, what's the matter?"

J.T. wouldn't let go or look at Woody, but instead tried to crawl inside his mother's body. "J.T., you know I'd never introduce you to someone I didn't know or trust?" She felt him nod. "Okay, then you should know that mommy trusts Mr. Branson. Can you please tell him hi?"

J.T. looked from under Stephanie's chin and whispered, "Hi."

Woody smiled at him, "Hi there, J.T. You like worms?" He saw the child nod. "I like them, too. Maybe one day we can go worm hunting together?"

"Kay," he heard. Stephanie placed J.T. back on his feet and told him to go play.

Turning to Woody, she apologized, "I'm sorry. He's never really been comfortable around men. The only ones really in his life are Tank and Todd. They've been there since he was born and they are the only ones he trusts for some reason."

"What about his dad?" Woody asked as he led them to the bench so they could see J.T. in the sandbox.

"He doesn't have a dad. A father, yes, but only because he was needed for the conception. He's never been in his life and never will be," Stephanie growled out.

"Darlin', I'll never push, but I hope you know if you ever want to talk, I'll listen."

Stephanie knew she'd need to tell Woody the full story, but she didn't want to do it around J.T. She tried to shelter him from all the bad stuff that happened in her life.

"Mommy, me hundry," yelled J.T.

Stephanie laughed and grabbed the bag, "Well, let's eat."

J.T. came running over to help set up. Stephanie and Woody spread out the blanket for everyone to sit on as J.T. pulled the food from the bag. "I didn't know you'd be joining us, so I didn't pack a lot," she told Woody, "but I do have an extra sandwich if you'd like it."

"No, that's fine. I'm not hungry, but thank you," he smiled at her as he laid on his side and watched J.T. dig into his Turkey and Swiss on rye.

Stephanie began munching on some of the carrots and pulled a water from the bag. Just as J.T. was about to take another bite, he looked up and screamed, "Mr. T!" He took off running and jumped on Tank's back.

Tank laughed, stood up, walked over to Stephanie, and sat down on the grass, "Hey, Angel. Where's J.T.?" Tank could hear J.T. laughing behind his head. "I came here to play with him, but I don't see him anywhere."

"Me here," he heard

Turning his head side to side, Tank tried to find where the sound came from. "Where's here?" he asked.

Stephanie and Woody were laughing and unable to speak when J.T. took Tank's head and tipped it backwards, "HERE," he yelled.

Tank busted up laughing and pulled J.T. over his shoulder, "There you are, you little bugger. How'd you get behind me?"

J.T. laughed as Tank tickled him. Finally, he stood up and tried pulling Tank to his feet, "Come, we find worms." Tank stood up and nodded at Stephanie and Woody before heading off to play with J.T.

Stephanie pulled Woody up and began walking, "Tank will watch after J.T. while you and I take a walk." Woody walked beside her wondering what was going on. Before he had a chance to ask, she began speaking.

"I've known J.T.'s father my whole life. He lived a few doors down from us. When I was six and he was eight, he took me into his father's garage to show me a new game called Choo Choo. I thought we'd be playing with trains; I was wrong. Well, not the trains like I thought, anyway. I was the tunnel and his finger was the train."

Stephanie stared straight ahead as she talked; she didn't want to see the pity in Woody's eyes. "When I got home, I was sore down there and told my mother what happened. Instead of doing anything to him or taking me to the doctor, she yelled at me for allowing him to touch me."

She heard Woody's sharp intake of air but kept going; she didn't want to hear anything from anyone else yet. "I tried to stay as far away from him as I could. When I was sixteen, I had a job at our local pastry shop. I was closing one night when he walked in. He locked the door behind him and stalked behind the counter. I tried telling him he needed to go, that we were closed and he couldn't be behind the counter."

"He grabbed me, and threw me down on the floor. I tried screaming, but he covered my mouth with his hand. I tried biting his hand, but he had it in such a way it didn't work. He looked around and found a cloth to stuff in my mouth then he held my arms above my head with his left hand."

Woody knew where this was going and tried to stop her, but she didn't hear him and kept going. "He used his right hand to undo his pants, pull my skirt up, and rip my panties off. I tried screaming around the cloth, but it was no use. I kept trying to move my body so he couldn't get me, but he slapped me and forced himself between my legs."

"Once he was inside, my body just kind of went limp. I don't remember much, other than him standing up, zipping his pants, smiling at me, and saying _Thanks, Cupcake_. I didn't see him again; he left the next morning for the Navy."

"Jebeni komad govno," Woody muttered under his breath.

Stephanie stopped walking and turned to Woody for the first time since she started her tale. "I found out I was pregnant at seven weeks. When I was three months, I finally told my parents. The next day, I left the house; or rather was kicked out. I made my way here by hitch-hiking rides the whole way."

When she was done, Woody could see the tears threatening to spill over and pulled her into his embrace. "I'm so sorry for all you've gone through, Steph. No one should have to go through that." He rubbed her back while she silently cried on his chest. He vowed to himself to find the scum that had hurt her and make him pay in every way.

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><p><em>*Jebeni komad govno = fucking piece of shit<em>

_Let me know what you think! See you next Woody Wednesday!_


	5. Chapter 5

Yes, I know... I'm a day early. But I have something to celebrate today and decided to give you an extra chapter today! So, what do I have to celebrate? I'M A FREE WOMAN! The divorce was finalized this morning. I don't know that I've EVER been so happy!

Anyway... a HUGE thank you to Amy (Stephfan6511) for all your work on my story. You make wonderful suggestions and help to keep the flow going! Thank you!

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><p>Woody and his friends had front row seats as Crystal danced on stage. It was Woody's birthday and the guys took him to The Play House for a few drinks, even though he tried to urge them to go somewhere else.<p>

Les leaned over the table, "Dude, do you think she's here tonight?"

Binkie looked at Les and then Woody, "Who?" he asked.

"Woody here has talked to one of the strippers," smiled Les. He knew Angel had sat with them the one night and that Woody took her out to lunch, but that was all he knew. When Les had tried to buy her a drink while Woody was in Boston, she told him she wasn't interested. So, Les figured she didn't date the clientele.

Shrugging, Woody took a sip of his beer, "I don't know. I don't have a copy of her schedule."

As Crystal's dance ended, the lights died down and the music changed to Rihanna's "S&M". Woody fought a smile, as he knew that was one of Stephanie's songs she liked to dance to.

When the lights came on, Lester hollered at the brunette, "Shake it, Angel. Let's see what you've got."

Woody tried to control the urge to hit Lester; he knew Les wasn't the only one yelling at Steph and he needed to accept this was her job. He couldn't go around beating up every man that looked and hollered at Stephanie.

As she danced in front of the men, Binkie reached up to grab her, but she avoided his touch. Tank had been watching and told Binkie to keep his hands off or leave.

Stephanie locked eyes with Woody and winked as she danced to the rest of the tables. When she'd made her way back to their table, Les put money in her g-string and smiled. As she moved a little to the right, Binkie reached for her one more time.

When he grabbed her wrist, Steph yelped and Woody jumped up and hit him with a right hook. Binkie went down like a ton of bricks and Tank dragged him out of the club. Ranger lifted his eyebrow at Woody, but didn't say anything. Lester, on the other hand, looked at Woody, "Dude, what the fuck was that?"

Woody looked up at Stephanie, "He was told to keep his hands off her." As Stephanie walked off stage, Woody looked back towards the bar and saw Tank standing there with Todd. Walking up to the bar, he nodded at the men, "Can I see her? I want to make sure she's okay."

Tank nodded and led Woody to the side door, "First door on the left."

Woody walked to the door and knocked. When he heard, "Come in," he opened the door and slid in the room. Staring at Stephanie, he felt an urge to protect her from all the men in the club. Walking up to her, he opened his arms, "Andeo, are you okay?"

Stephanie allowed herself to be comforted by his embrace, "I'm okay, Cowboy. Are you in trouble?"

"Nah, he had it coming. He's been an ass for a few weeks. I've noticed he's had a problem with drinking and touching every time we go out. He was warned by Tank to keep his hands to himself, but he didn't listen. I know I should have allowed Tank to handle him, but I couldn't stand the thought of him hurting you."

Woody took her wrist in his hand and inspected it. He could see a light red ring forming and his blood began to boil. Sensing he was getting pissed, Stephanie reached up and cupped his face, "Hey, I've had worse."

"But you shouldn't ever have a mark on you. Not from anyone." Woody pulled her to him and hugged her tight as he fought to get his emotions under control before he stormed out and killed Binkie.

With a knock at the door, Woody and Stephanie pulled apart from each other. Opening the door, she saw Tank standing there with his arms across his chest, "You okay, Angel?"

"I'm fine, Big Guy. Tell Todd I'll be back on stage in twenty." Tank nodded and walked away.

Stephanie walked over to Woody and pushed him to sit on the couch. Sitting down next to him, she placed a hand on his leg, "I'm okay. Honestly."

"I know you are, but I still hate the thought of anyone putting a mark on you. No one should be touching you when you're out there," Woody told her as he looked in her eyes.

Trying to change the subject, Stephanie asked, "Why are you all here tonight? Seems like there are more of your co-workers than usual."

"Oh," blushed Woody, "it's because they found out it's my birthday."

"Oh really?" asked Stephanie. "Well then, let's get the birthday boy back out there for my next performance." Standing up, she pulled Woody up with her. Leaning in, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, "Happy birthday David."

Woody smiled as he kissed her cheek back, "Thank you, Andeo."

OOO

As Stephanie set up the stage in the dark, she heard Tank on the microphone, "Gentlemen, we have a special request from Angel. Please, put your hands together as we wish Woody a very special Happy Birthday." The men in the club started clapping and Woody began blushing. "Woody, your presence is requested on the stage."

Lester, Bobby, Zip, Zero, Ranger, and Junior all laughed at Woody as he paled at the thought of going on stage. When Tank pulled him up, they laughed harder. "You were requested by Angel and you will do as she asks." Tank pushed him in a chair and leaned in real close, "Sit on your hands, do not touch and you'll be fine."

Woody nodded in agreement and waited as Tank stepped off stage. When the music began playing Color Me Badd's "I Wanna Sex You Up", Woody saw Stephanie stalk on stage from his right.

As Woody sat on his hands and stared up at Stephanie, he knew what was about to happen. When she stepped up in front of him, she smiled and began dancing as if he were the only person in the club. Woody felt his body responding to her as she straddled his lap, moving her body in a way that made him wish there were no clothes on either of them. He struggled to remain sitting on his hands when he really wanted to reach up, grab her, and kiss the day lights out of her.

When Stephanie turned around, her back to Woody's chest, and straddled his lap, Lester and Zip hollered, "Lucky bastard."

As the song ended, Stephanie stood up, turned to face Woody, leaned down, and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips, "Happy Birthday," she whispered as she walked off the stage. The lights died down, which Woody was grateful for, and he stood up and awkwardly walked to the edge where the stairs were.

Taking his seat back at his table, his friends all gave him shit about his solo dance. He knew they were jealous, yet happy for him. Woody, however, wanted more of what he'd just had… only in a much more private setting.

The rest of the night, the group watched the other dancers while Woody found his thoughts focused only on his Andeo. Woody jumped when he felt a hand land on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Tank's face, "This is for you," he told him and handed him an envelope.

Woody nodded and opened his gift. _I hope you didn't mind the dance. I wanted to give you something special for you birthday. I hope your friends don't give you too hard of a time. Happy Birthday, David. Xoxo, Angel._

"Whatcha got?" asked Lester as he watched Woody read a note.

"Just a birthday wish from someone," smiled Woody as he folded his note and stuck it in his pocket.

OOO

Woody stuck around after all the guys had left; he wanted to see Stephanie before he headed home for the night. Twenty minutes after the club closed, Stephanie finally stepped from the back room. The shock at seeing Woody still there was evident and he smiled.

"What? Did you think I'd leave and not say goodbye?" he smiled.

"Honestly, I figured you'd leave with your friends," she told him as she closed the door behind her.

"Nah, I had other things I wanted to do."

Woody placed his hand at the small of her back as he walked her out to her car. "I hope it's okay that I stuck around," he said unsure if she was happy or not.

"I'm glad you did. Did your friends give you too hard a time?" she asked. She wanted to give him something he'd remember about his birthday, but she didn't want to cause him grief.

"Nah. I think Les gave me more of a hard time trying to figure out who my note was from than the dance." As Stephanie leaned against her car, Woody stood in front of her, brushed her hair from her face, and smiled, "Thank you, by the way."

"You're welcome," she blushed. "Honestly, you are the first one I've done a dance for. Other than my usual stage dancing."

"Really?" Woody questioned. He was surprised to find she'd never done a solo dance for anyone else.

"Really. I've had other people ask if I'd do a dance for a friend, but I've always turned them down. I don't trust anyone to sit on their hands and not touch. I know Tank is there and watching, but he stays in the background. I've always worried that he'd not get there in time to stop something."

"So why me?"

"Because I trust you. I have since the first time I met you. I don't know how to explain it, but I just know you are trustworthy."

Woody smiled and nodded, "I'd never hurt you intentionally." Looking around, Woody had an idea, "Do you have to get home right away?"

"No. J.T. is staying at Todd's house tonight. He sees them as grandparents and they treat him like a grandson. Why?"

"I don't feel like going home yet. I enjoy spending time with you and talking. How'd you feel about some ice cream and a talk?"

"I'd love it," smiled Stephanie.

OOO

Woody and Stephanie sat across from each other in a booth at Steak-n-Shake, sharing a parfait. "Why did you pick Miami to move to?" Woody asked her.

"Easy. I love the beach and I hate snow." Taking another bite, she smiled, "Next?"

Woody laughed and thought for a minute, "How old were you when you had your son?"

"I was seventeen, just by a few months," she whispered and hung her head down.

"Steph?" Woody said as he reached across to cup her chin. "Don't hide from me. I'm not judging you; just trying to learn more about you."

Looking up, she gave a half smile, "Sorry. I'm not trying to hide from you. I've just learned that I have to protect myself and my son because no one is going to."

Woody stood up and slid in the booth next to Stephanie. Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, he pulled her to him. "I'll protect you and J.T. anytime I can."

"Why?" she asked him as a tear leaked out.

"Why? It's easy. I find myself thinking of you all day and all night. I want to know what you're doing, where you are, what you're thinking. I want to take away your pain when you're hurt. I want to see and hear your son laugh when he finds something funny."

Turning her chin to face him, Woody continued, "Steph, Andeo, I'm falling for you. I want to see you every day and at some point, I'd like to fall asleep and wake up with you in my arms."

Stephanie couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was something she'd wished for for years, but never thought she'd hear. "What about your family? I'm sure they wouldn't want you to have a stripper and young mother for a girlfriend. I don't want to cause problems with your family. They mean too much to you."

"If you trust me like you say you do, then trust me on this. They won't care."

Stephanie looked at Woody, "I want to believe you, I do. But, I'm not sure." Looking at the clock, she sighed, "I best be going. I know you work in the morning and I need to pick up J.T. by nine."

Woody slid from the booth, paid the bill, and walked Stephanie to her car. "Thank you for the ice cream and talk. Can I call you tomorrow?"

Stephanie nodded, "Of course. But, I should be thanking you for the ice cream."

Woody leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on her lips before handing her into her car and shutting the door. He watched her drive from the lot and prayed that he'd be able to get her to believe him. He wanted her and her son in his life; now he just had to make it happen.


	6. Chapter 6

_Happy Hump Day! Happy Woody Wednesday! Just HAPPY Hello in general!_

_Thank you Amy (Stephfan6511) for your work and help on this! I reallly appreciate it!_

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><p>When Stephanie walked into Tom's Happy Burger just after two in the morning, Crystal was one of the first to jump on her, "Girl, where the hell you been? I know you were off work just after one!"<p>

Blushing, Stephanie sat down next to Cinnamon, "Sorry, I stayed after to talk to someone and lost track of the time."

Cinnamon wrapped her arm around Stephanie's shoulder and leaned in close, "Who is he, Angel? I won't tell anyone."

Stephanie laughed as she looked at Cinnamon, "Girl, you are the first person I'd tell something to that I wanted everyone to know."

Cinnamon tried to look shocked, "Somehow, I think I'm supposed to be offended by that comment, but I'm not."

"Seriously, Angel, who kept you tied up?" Crystal asked again.

Stephanie blushed as she thought of Woody tying her up. Just as she was about to say something, the door opened and Tank walked through. Stephanie tried to slink farther down under the table to hide herself, but knew it wouldn't work.

"Angel, get out here now," Tank bellowed.

Stephanie slid from the booth and cautiously walked over to Tank, "Hey Big Guy, what's up?" she asked trying to lighten the mood.

Tank folded his arms across his chest, "You want to tell me why your admirer is outside in the parking lot?"

"I have no idea. I told him good night at the club. I thought he was going home," she replied as she looked out the window.

"Well, he didn't. He's here. How does he even know about Friday night anyway?" Tank demanded.

"A few weeks ago, when we came here for lunch, Tom asked if I was still showing up that night. Woody asked what Friday night was and I told him." Stephanie looked at Tank and glared, "I didn't know it was a huge secret, anyway."

Tank stood there staring down at Stephanie; he knew he was being an ass, but he didn't care. She was his to protect; her and J.T. He felt he was the only one who could take care of her and keep her from harm. He didn't like it when Woody showed up and started interfering in Stephanie's life. Tank just knew that Woody was up to no good; after all, what young man wants to be tied down to a woman with a child? He knew Woody was only after Stephanie because she was a stripper.

Stephanie looked in Tank's eyes and saw some of what he was thinking. "You're wrong, you know," she told him. "He's not that shallow."

"Hm, we'll see," Tank told her and walked away.

OOO

Stephanie was getting ready for her date; Woody had asked her out to dinner and would be there any minute to pick her up. Walking into the living room, she turned her back to Lula, "Lu, can you zip me up?"

Lula looked at Stephanie wearing a midnight blue halter-top style dress and whistled, "Girl, you gonna kill him in this, you know that, right?"

Stephanie snorted, "Lu, if him seeing me in next to nothing hasn't killed him, this isn't going to do it."

Once she was zipped up, she strapped on her heels and checked her hair in the mirror. "Mommy boodiful," she heard from behind her. Turning around, she smiled at her son.

"Thank you, sweetie. Now, Mommy's going out for the night, so you be good for Lula, okay?"

J.T. nodded and took off running for his toys. Lula laughed, "Don't worry. I'll make sure he cleans up his room before bed."

Stephanie smiled and reached for her keys when there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it," Lula told her.

Lula opened the door to find Woody standing there in a pair of black jeans, a white button up shirt, and handful of pink tulips. Lula looked Woody up and down before smiling, "You must be the Woody Man."

Woody smiled and tried not to laugh, "Yes, Ma'am, I'm Woody. Is Stephanie ready?" he asked.

Lula stepped aside and allowed Woody to enter. When his eyes landed on Stephanie, he let out a low growl, "Holy Hell, Woman," he muttered under his breath.

"Yeah, she looks great, don't she?" Lula said letting him know she'd heard him.

Stephanie blushed as she walked back to J.T.'s room to tell him good night. Grabbing her purse, she told Lula that the numbers were on the fridge and to call if there were any problems. Even though Stephanie worked nights and was use to leaving J.T. with Lula, this was the first time she'd be leaving him while she went on a date.

Woody opened the passenger door of his F-150 and helped Stephanie in. After making sure she was comfortable, he shut the door and jogged to the driver side. Turning the key, he started the engine and looked over at his companion for the evening. "Are you sure you're ready to do this?"

"I am," she smiled.

Woody pulled out of the parking lot and headed down the street, "Anywhere particular you'd like to go?" he asked.

"Nope. I'm open for any place with decent food."

Woody smiled and decided they'd go to one of the local steak houses. One the drive, Woody began telling her about his day, "Andeo, I talked to my Ma today."

Hearing a little hesitation in his voice, Stephanie looked over, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everyone is doing well." Woody took a deep breath, "Ma is coming to visit me in two weeks. Says she misses me and needs a break from the Ranch."

"Oh, Woody, that's wonderful news. I'm sure she'll be happy with the choices you've made since you came back from overseas."

Woody smile at Stephanie, "I'd like for you to meet her while she's here."

Stephanie sucked in a breath, "I'm not sure about that."

"Why not?"

"Seriously? Come on, Woody. No mother in their right mind wants their young son tied down to a woman with a child that isn't even his. She's going to hate me; I'll be considered a slut or whore in her mind and she'll tell you to stay away from me."

Woody pulled into the parking lot of the steakhouse and killed the engine. Turning to face Stephanie, he reached for her hand, "Steph, listen to me. I talk to my ma on the phone at least two times a week; we e-mail each other every day. Do you honestly think I've not told her about you already? The first time I talked to her after I met you that first night, I told her about you. She knows about your job. She knows about J.T. She knows that I'm…"

He stopped when he saw the expression on her face, "What's wrong?"

"You've really told her about my job and son?" Woody nodded. "And you're still talking to me?" Another nod. "And she's okay with that?"

"Andeo, she asks about you every time I talk with her," he smiled. Opening the door, Woody walked to the passenger side and opened the door. After helping Stephanie out of the vehicle, he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I don't want to pressure you, but I'd be honored if you'd meet her. If you're not ready, just tell me and I won't push it."

Stephanie nodded and hugged him back. "I'll let you know before she gets here."

Woody and Stephanie walked through the door and were immediately shown to a table. After ordering their dinner, Woody and Stephanie talked about their week and tried to find a time to hit the park for a picnic. Just as the food was delivered, Stephanie's phone rang.

Looking at Woody, Stephanie reached for her phone, "I'm sorry, but I need to take this," she told him. "Hello?"

"Steph, I'm sorry to call, but J Man is sick," she heard Lula say on the other end.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know. We were outside playin' and all the sudden he told me he didn't feel too well. We came inside and he threw up on the couch. I got him cleaned up and went to change his clothes when I felt him burning up."

"Okay, Lula. We're on the way. There is children's Tylenol in the cabinet, give him one teaspoon and have him lie down," Stephanie told her as she saw Woody motion for the waitress.

Hanging up the phone, she looked at Woody, "I'm so sorry. J.T.'s sick and I need to get back home to him."

"Don't worry about it, Darlin'. We'll get this boxed up and take it back to your place and check on your son."

Woody paid the bill and walked Stephanie to the truck. After she was buckled, he took off for her place. He knew she was worried about her son and he wanted to get her there quickly, but safely. When Woody pulled into her parking lot, she shot out of the truck before he even had it in park.

Woody would have laughed if it weren't for the fact her son was sick and she was worried. After turning off the engine, Woody grabbed the bag of food and headed to her apartment. Knocking on the door, he smiled when Lula answered.

"She forgot about you, huh?" she asked.

"She has more important things on her mind," Woody told her as he stepped inside. "How is he?"

"He burnin' up. I done gave him some Tylenol, but it ain't touched his fever. He got sick again after I gave it to him, though, so I don't know if it'll help." Lula pointed to the hall, "She in the bathroom with him if you want to go see."

Woody nodded, placed the bag on the table, and walked down the hall. As he stood outside the bathroom door, he could hear the little boy crying, "It cold, mommy."

"Shhh, I know sweetie. The water feels cold, but it's not really. You're just so hot that it feels that way. We need to get your fever down and then you'll feel better."

Woody knocked on the door and waited for Stephanie to grant him permission to enter. Sitting on the toilet lid, he looked in at J.T., "Hey there buddy. I hear you're not feeling too good."

"Me sick," he said before whispering, "Sowwie."

"Sorry? What for?" Woody asked him.

"Mommy said she going out but I getted sick and made her tome home," J.T. said as tears welled up in his eyes.

"Sweetie, you didn't do this on purpose. Don't worry about it, Mommy's not upset with you," Stephanie told him as she pulled him from the tub. Wrapping a towel around him, she carried him to his room. Woody followed and turned on the light as Stephanie sat J.T. on the floor.

As Stephanie got J.T. dressed, Woody read him _Where the Wild Things Are_. Stephanie smiled at Woody when he finished the book and saw J.T. was asleep in her arms. Woody stood up and took J.T. from her so she could rise from the floor. After tucking her son in bed, she pulled the door to a little and followed Woody to the kitchen.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Woody stopped, turned around, took her in his arms, and made sure she was looking up at him. "Darlin' there's nothing for you to be sorry about. He became sick and we rushed back here to take care of him. I have no problem with that."

"But, he's not yours to take care of. I'm sorry that you had to be here for that."

"Andeo, I didn't _have_ to stick around, I chose to stay here and help. I'll stay as long as you allow me to stay." Woody began unpacking the food from the bag and setting it on the table, "Here, let's eat while he sleeps for a little bit and then we can check on him after we're done eating to make sure his fever stays down."

Stephanie smiled, nodded, and grabbed some plates from the cabinet to heat the food back up. She saw a note from Lula on the counter, _Knew yo man would stay and help, so I took off. Call me later and let me know how J. Man is doin'. Lu._

Stephanie smiled and tucked the note in her purse as Woody heated up the food. Looking towards the hall, she told him, "I'm going to go change real quick, if that's okay."

Woody nodded and watched her walk down the hall towards her bedroom. While he'd been a little disappointed that they had to leave the restaurant, he was happy that she'd allowed him to stay and help take care of J.T.

When Stephanie returned from changing into a pair of shorts and a tank top, Woody sat the plates on the table and pulled her chair out for her. "Thank you," she replied with a smile.

Stephanie and Woody ate their dinner in companionable silence. When the food was gone and the kitchen was cleaned up, they made their way to the living room. Sitting on the end of the couch, Woody waited until Stephanie returned from checking on J.T.

"How is he?" he asked as she sat down.

"He's getting warm again, but I can't give him anything yet." Pulling her feet up under her, Stephanie sighed, "I hate when he's sick."

"Does he get sick often?"

"No, but when he does get sick, he's sick for about three days. And those are three days I have to take off work since I have no family around to help take care of him."

"Have you talked to any of your family since he was born?" Woody asked as he reached for her hand.

Staring at the wall, Stephanie nodded. "I called home the day after he was born. Told my father he had a grandson."

Woody tugged on her hand and pulled her closer to him. Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, he asked, "What did he say?"

Stephanie leaned her head on Woody's shoulder and closed her eyes, "He said, No I don't. My only daughter has three girls."

Woody felt her body shake and he knew she was silently crying. He held her tight and allowed her to get it out of her system. When she was done crying, he tipped her chin so he could see her face. "Steph, I'm so sorry for all that you and your son have been through. But, I promise you this. You will not be alone any more. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

"For now," she whispered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"I just don't want to come between you and your family."

"Look at me and know I'm telling you the truth," he told her. When her eyes locked with his, he smiled, "My family is going to love you. They aren't going to care that you have a son. They aren't going to care that you are a dancer. You are doing what you need to do in order to provide for your son. THAT is what they are going to see."

"As for you being a young mother, I should tell you something about my family. Something that isn't hidden, but just not talked about simply because we don't view it as something that needs to be discussed."

Stephanie looked at him and wondered what he was talking about.

"One of my younger brothers, Eric, has a son. He's only seventeen."

"That's different. It's always different for the guy," Stephanie started to say.

"Hold on, I've not told you the whole story. See, Eric is raising his son. Alone. Chelsea, the mother, was sixteen when she got pregnant. When the baby was born, she refused to have anything to do with him. She didn't want to get up in the middle of the night and feed him, she didn't want to change him. She wanted to be able to go out with her friends and not be a mother."

"How can someone be like that?" Stephanie wondered aloud.

"Well, Eric, he wanted the baby. So, he talked to Ma and fought for custody of Brady. He took Chelsea to court, won custody, and has been raising that boy all on his own. Sure, Ma helps out while he's at school and work, but when he steps through that door he's Dad. He gave up his social life to raise his son."

"At seventeen?" Stephanie asked.

"At seventeen. No one in our family thinks poorly of him," Woody tried telling her.

"Yeah, but it's still different for a woman," she told him.

"Steph, please. Just meet my ma when she comes to town and you'll see that what I'm telling you is the truth. Please?" Woody begged her.

Looking in his eyes and seeing that he really wanted it, she sighed, "Okay. I'll meet her, but promise me that if she doesn't like me, you'll not do anything to ruin your relationship with her!"

Woody leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips, "I promise, but there is no need to worry. She'll love you."

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><p>It's gonna be a happy day!<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

_Thank you for the reviews and messages. I"m sorry I didn't respond to them all individually... it's been a busy week. I promise to be better at that!_

_A huge thank you to Amy (Stephfan6511) for all the work and help you've done. I'm sure this reads a LOT easier because of you!_

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><p>Woody and Lester stood against the wall, staring at the people that walked past, waiting for Woody's mother to arrive. She was due any moment and Woody was there to surprise her. When he'd asked her about her flight, she'd told him she'd take a cab to the hotel and see him when he was done working. Woody wasn't having that. He was brought up to be a gentleman and he was going to be at the airport to meet his mother.<p>

As Woody looked for the arrival screen, they heard, "Flight 237 from Amarillo, Texas now arriving at gate thirty-two." Lester and Woody took off for gate thirty-two and waited for Ma Branson to walk down the hallway.

Woody saw her before she was half way down the aisle. His grin stretching across his face, he walked up to meet her, "Hi, Ma," he said wrapping her in a huge hug.

"Oh my! Woody. What on Heaven's Earth are you doing here? I told you I'd find a cab to the hotel. You didn't need to take time off work to pick me up," she scolded her son with a smile.

"Ma, you know I'd never let you take a cab in a city you don't know; especially when I live and work in that city. I just used my lunch time to come pick you up." Motioning to Lester, they headed to baggage claim.

"Well, I do appreciate you picking me up. My, my, just look at you. You've grown up so handsome," she said as she linked her arm with his.

"Ma, it's only been six months since you last saw me," Woody tried telling her.

"Yes, but it's been a long six months. You know I don't like to go very long without seeing my children."

Lester stood next to Woody with a smile on his face. Ma Branson noticed the young man and looked at Woody. Whispering, she said, "Woody, I think the man next to you is up to no good. He's smiling at me like he has a plan."

Woody turned his head to see Lester and busted up laughing, "Nah. He's cool. Ma, this is my work partner, Lester Santos. Les, meet my ma, Mrs. Branson."

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Branson," Lester smiled as he shook her hand.

"Oh, pardon me. I'm so sorry, Mr. Santos," she blushed.

"No problem." Lester looked up as the baggage area chimed and the belt began moving. "How many bags do you have, Ma'am?"

"Oh dear, please, call me Ma. Ma'am makes me feel so darn old," she told him as she smiled. "I have two bags. They have bright orange tags on them so I could tell which ones were mine. Didn't want some old geezer walking off with my girlie things."

Woody couldn't believe what he was hearing out of his mother's mouth. He'd never heard her talk about her _girlie things_ before. Luckily, Lester saw the very bright orange tags and grabbed the bags before she said anything else.

As they were walking out to the truck, Ma looked up at Woody, "Now, do I get to meet your girlfriend, Stephanie, that you've telling me all about?"

Lester shot Woody a "_what the fuck"_ look; he'd not heard of Woody dating anyone since he took Angel to lunch the one time. Woody blushed as he looked at his ma. "I'll call her and find out. I'm not sure she's free this evening."

Woody avoided Lester's gaze, knowing that as soon as they dropped Ma off at the hotel, Lester was going to start the inquisition. He'd purposely not told anyone about Stephanie because he knew that if they found out he was "dating a stripper," the jokes would fly.

The drive to the hotel was quick and quiet. Ma Branson was staying at a hotel just down the street from RangeMan; that way she'd have more time with Woody when he was off work. They had a lot to catch up on and she didn't want to waste time driving back and forth.

Once Ma was checked into the hotel and comfortable in her room, she told the guys, "I'm going to take a nap. Call me when you are done working, Woody and we'll discuss getting together with your girl."

Kissing his mother on the cheek, he nodded and turned to leave with Lester. Counting, Woody made it to three before Lester started the questions.

"Who are you dating? I've never heard you mention a lady. What happened with the stripper, Angel? I know you took her to lunch, but I thought you might try for more with her. Hell, I'd try for more with her," he said wagging his eyebrows.

Woody wanted to deck him for the comment, but refrained. "I've been dating someone for a few weeks now. Never told you or the guys because it doesn't have anything to do with my job."

Stepping into the elevator, Lester pushed the button for the main lobby and waited. "What does that mean? Never told us because it doesn't have anything to do with work. You only gonna talk about work with us?"

Woody shrugged, "Depends on how you treat the ladies. So far, the only time I've seen you around the females, is at the bar. I've not really liked how you and a few others talk to the girls, so for now, my private life is that. Private."

Lester thought about it and nodded, "I get it man. You think we're all players and that we disrespect women. I never thought about it that way, but I guess what we do and say, comes across like that." Hanging his head, Lester sighed, "I'm sorry, man."

Woody looked at Lester and laughed, "Hell no, that is not going to work. I see the fucking smirk on your ugly mug."

Lester broke out laughing and shrugged, "Just can't do it man. But, seriously, I would never disrespect women. I love them too much."

OOO

Stephanie had just finished clearing the table of J.T.'s coloring books when the phone rang. Reaching for it, she saw the caller ID and smiled, "Hey there."

"Andeo, how are you tonight?" Woody asked as he stepped into his apartment to get out of his work clothes.

"I'm doing very good now. How are you?"

Undoing his belt buckle, Woody told her, "I'm beat, but I have a question for you."

"Okay, ask away," she told him as she looked in the freezer for a pizza.

"Well, my ma flew in this morning and,"

"Oh, David, that's wonderful. I know it's been a while since you've seen her."

"Yeah, it has. I was wondering if you'd like to go to dinner with my ma and me."

Stephanie was shocked that he'd want to include her in his time with his mother on the first night. "David, I don't think that's a good idea. You've not seen her in half a year, I'm sure you want to spend time alone with her. Or at least, she'd want to spend some alone time with you."

"Darlin', she asked when she gets to meet you. She's really looking forward to meeting the women I've been telling her about," he told her as he shucked his cargos off and looked around for a pair of faded jeans.

"I just don't know that I'm ready for that," she sighed.

"Please, Steph. I know you're worried about what my ma will say when she finds out that you're a dancer and have a young son. I promise you, she will not look at you with anything other than love and admiration," Woody pleaded with her as he slipped into his jeans and buttoned them up. Pulling the phone away for a second, he slipped his t-shirt over his head and walked to the dresser.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she heard the fabric slide against the phone.

"Getting undressed and redressed," he told her. "Why? Wanna come help me?" he teased.

Trying to keep the pictures of him naked out of her head, she cleared her throat and decided she'd go to dinner, "When and where?" she blurted out.

"Now and in my apartment," Woody countered.

"What? NO! No, that's not what I meant," she stuttered as she tried to get out what she really wanted to say. "I meant dinner, when and where should I meet you and your mother for dinner?"

Laughing on the other end, Woody had a hard time hanging onto the phone as he struggled to slip his boots on. "Alright, Darlin', I'll let you off the hook this time. Cracker Barrel in thirty?"

"I'll be there. But, promise me this. If it becomes uncomfortable, you'll let me leave so I don't embarrass you."

"Andeo, that won't happ…"

"Promise me, David, please?" she repeated.

"Okay, I promise that if you feel uncomfortable, I'll let you leave."

"Okay, I'll see you in thirty."

OOO

Stephanie was sitting in one of the rocking chairs on the porch of Cracker Barrel when she saw Woody's truck pull in. Gathering her courage, she stood up and waited for her dinner companions to join her.

Walking up to Stephanie, Woody wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in for a quick kiss. "Andeo, I'm glad you could make it," he whispered in her ear. Pulling back, he smiled at his ma, "Ma, this is Stephanie. Steph, this is my ma, Darlene Branson."

Stephanie shook the older woman's hand, "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Branson."

"Oh non-sense child, call me Ma. I am so happy to finally meet you. I've heard nothing but wonderful things about you from my Woody."

Woody looked around, "Where's J.T.?"

"Oh, he's staying the night with Tank. Something about a "guys" night. Personally, I think Tank just wanted to have an excuse to play certain board games," Stephanie laughed.

"Who is J.T.?" Ma asked as they walked into the restaurant.

"J.T.," started Woody, "is Andeo's son. He's two and a great little guy."

Stephanie watched his mother's face for any reaction, and surprised when all she was amazement. "You have a young son?"

"Yes. I've been raising him on my own since he was born," she quietly replied.

"Where is his father?"

"He's a worthless piece of human flesh," Woody responded. "He has no respect for women." Stephanie had never heard Woody speak of anyone like that before and she was a little stunned. Woody saw her tense up and wrapped an arm around her again, "I'm sorry, Steph. I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, you're right. I've just never heard you talk like that before."

After they were seated and food ordered, the conversation turned back to Stephanie and her son. "Have you lived in Miami your whole life?" Ma asked.

"No. I moved here when I was pregnant with my son. I needed a place where I felt I could raise him and I've always loved the beach. I didn't know anyone when I came here, but quickly made friends with some people and they helped me out."

"You moved while pregnant? Did your parents not help you out? I know you can't be any older than nineteen."

"Correct," she replied. "And, no. When my parents found out I was pregnant, I was kicked out of the house."

Stephanie spent the rest of dinner explaining her life to Woody's mom. She thought for sure that when she got to the part of being a stripper, she'd have to leave. But, just like Woody told her, his mother made no judgments except to say that she was glad Stephanie had found a way to take care of herself and her son.

As they were heading to the parking lot, Woody's mom turned to Stephanie, "I'm glad you and my Woody met. He seems so much happier when I talk to him now. As for you and your son, I'd like to meet him if possible. I'm sure he's such a cute little charmer. And one of these times, when Woody comes home for a visit, you two must come with him and meet the rest of the family."

Stephanie was stunned into silence. She'd never been invited to someone's home before and wasn't sure what to make of it. "I'd like that," she replied as she was pulled into a hug by Ma.

"Now, I must head back to the hotel and get some rest." Looking at her son, Ma said, "Woody, why don't you drop me off at the hotel and then go spend some alone time with Stephanie. I'm sure she'd enjoy it."

Woody winked at Stephanie and nodded, "I think I will, Ma."


	8. Chapter 8

Well, here it is... Chapter 8! I hope you are still enjoying the story! Thank you for the reviews and messages, I really really really appreciate it!  
>Thank you, Amy (Stephfan6511) for working your magic!<p>

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><p>Stephanie knew Woody would be on his way to her place once he dropped his mother off at the hotel. She quickly changed into her shorts and tank top and pulled her hair into a messy ponytail. As she walked to the kitchen for a glass of juice, she heard the knock at the door.<p>

Unchaining the locks, she opened the door and smiled at Woody, "Come on in," she told him as she stepped aside. Woody walked past, but paused to kiss her on the cheek. As Stephanie relocked the door, she asked, "Can I get you something to drink? I have milk, water, and juice."

Woody shook his head, "No thank you, I'm fine for now." He reached out for Stephanie's hand and pulled her to the living room with him. Sitting on the couch, he pulled her onto his lap, "Thank you for going to dinner tonight."

Leaning against him, she smiled, "It was fun. Thank you for inviting me."

"It wasn't that bad, was it?"

"No. You told me it would be fine and I should have listened to you." Stephanie couldn't think of anything else to say as Woody's right hand was touching her stomach under her tank top. She tried to stay relaxed, but she still tensed up.

Woody, noticing the change, realized what he was doing and pulled his hand out. "Sorry, Andeo."

"I'm the one that's sorry. It's just…" she started to explain and stopped.

"What? You know you can tell me anything, right?" Woody asked as he kissed her shoulder.

Stephanie, fighting the embarrassment, slid off his lap and told him, "I've only ever been with one person and only that one time. I've never been kissed or touched other than that one night on the hard, cold floor."

Woody was shocked; he'd have guessed that she'd had a relationship, or at least dated, since then. Hearing her confession released something inside him. Something he'd never felt; something he didn't know how to explain. He found himself wanting to be the next and last person she ever slept with. He wanted to be the only person who ever saw her body again; but he knew that wouldn't happen. Men saw her body every night.

"Steph, you've never been on a date?"

Shaking her head, she turned to him, "Only the dates you and I have gone on. No one wants anything to do with a young mother. They don't want the hassle of a child complicating things."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere. I want you and J.T. in my life. I'm not just saying that; I mean it. I find myself thinking of you throughout the day, falling asleep thinking of you, and waking in the morning wondering how long until I can see you. J.T. is an absolute joy to be around."

Stephanie stared at Woody as he made his confession. She found it hard to believe and opted to change the subject to something less serious. "Tell me about your siblings," she blurted out.

Woody laughed as he knew what she was doing, but decided to go along with it. "Well, there is Aubrey. She's the oldest at twenty-six. She's a stay-at-home mom to three girls, all under the age of five, and married to her high-school sweetheart. They live on a ranch about two miles from Ma. Her husband, Brayden, runs their ranch and helps Ma with the farming."

"Next is Benjamin. He's twenty-four, married with two girls, and lives in Nevada. He's just finishing his final year of med-school. After Benjamin comes Chloe. She's twenty-two and in college to become a lawyer. She's currently unattached and not looking for anyone. I have my own suspicions, but will let her eventually tell us."

Stephanie looked at Woody, "You think she has a girlfriend?"

"I think she either does or hopes to have one. She's never really crushed on guys before and just some things she's said in the past lead me to believe she prefers girls." Looking at Stephanie with a gleam in his eye, he told her, "Can't say that I blame her."

Stephanie smacked Woody's arm and laughed, before he continued. "After Chloe is me and then Eric. He's the one who fought for custody of his son. He's seventeen, almost eighteen. Up next, is my youngest sister, Felicia. She's sixteen and a senior in high school. She's planning on going to college to become an accountant. Finally, the baby of the family, Garret. He's about to turn fourteen and had the attitude of a young teenage man, but hopefully, he won't follow Eric's pattern. I think he learned from that."

"Wow, all of you guys are about two years apart. I couldn't even imagine being pregnant right now, let alone having a baby in the house. I'd go insane!"

"Yeah, we all said the same thing growing up. I think Aubrey forgot that." Woody looked at Stephanie and put his arm around her. Pulling her into his side, he kissed the top of her head, "So, now it's your turn."

Taking a deep breath, Stephanie started, "Well, I only have one older sister. St. Valerie, the perfect."

"St. Valerie?" snorted Woody.

"Yeah, she's the perfect one. She'll grow up to be just like Mom wants. The perfect 'Burg housewife. House vacuumed and dusted every day, windows washed every other with dinner on the table promptly at six. Bath drawn for the husband at seven-thirty. In bed, ready and waiting by eight-fifteen and sound asleep by nine."

Woody couldn't contain his laughter. "What the hell is that?"

"Oh, that is the 'Burg wife's daily life."

"Please, tell me you won't turn into that!"

"Never!" She looked up at Woody and smiled, "Besides, I'd rather have my husband draw _my_ bath."

Leaning down, Woody whispered, "Only if I can join you in the tub."

Stephanie didn't know how to respond to that. Luckily, she didn't have to. Woody changed the subject. The two sat and talked for hours before Woody looked at the clock and saw it was two in the morning. "Darlin', I best get going. I can barely keep my eyes open and you look exhausted as well."

"Why don't you stay here tonight? You're too tired and I don't want to have to worry about you driving home and getting into an accident."

Thinking about it, Woody replied, "I can take J.T.'s bed."

Stephanie laughed and shook her head, "So not gonna happen. He has a toddler bed."

"The couch?"

"While it is longer than a toddler bed, it is not very comfy to sleep on." Stephanie grabbed their glasses and headed to the kitchen, "Look, we are both adults here. We can share a bed and just sleep."

After thinking it over and wondering if he could keep his hands to himself, Woody realized it was for the best if he stayed the night; he didn't think he'd make it two blocks before his eyes shut permanently.

OOO

Waking up, Stephanie had to take a moment to assess the situation. She'd never woken up with someone other than J.T. in her bed before. Remembering that Woody had spent the night, she relaxed and then realized she was using his chest as a pillow.

Sensing Stephanie was awake, Woody tightened his arm around her and squeezed, "Morning, Darlin'," he whispered.

"Morning David," she whispered back. As she was attempting to look up at him, he was leaning down to kiss the top of her head. Not realizing what the other was doing, their lips met in a soft and gentle kiss.

Surprised by the kiss, Stephanie pulled back a little, but once she saw the look in Woody's eyes, she knew everything would be fine. Reaching back up, she welcomed his lips on hers. His arm tightened more around her, practically pulling her on top of him.

Stephanie's heart began racing as she felt Woody's hands slip under her tank-top and rest on her hips, his thumbs rubbing back and forth across her skin. Someone moaned as Woody's tongue traced her lips asking for entrance. When she slightly opened her mouth, she felt Woody's tongue slide in and begin its exploration.

Stephanie's right hand slid down off his neck and that was when she realized he was shirtless. Her hand began running down his chest, over his muscles, and across his abs. Stephanie's mind was telling her to stop things, but her body was screaming at her to continue. Woody's hand slid up her ribs and his thumbs brushed the underside of her breasts when his phone rang, causing Stephanie to jump off him.

Reaching for his phone with one hand, Woody used the other to bring Stephanie back to him. "Yello'" he answered. "Hi, Ma."

Stephanie had a look of horror and shock on her face. Trying to bury herself in the blankets, Woody laughed, "No, Ma, it's not too early… I do have to work in a few hours… I can do more than give you her number, just a second." Woody pulled the blankets off Stephanie's face and kissed her forehead, "Ma wants to talk to you, Andeo."

Stephanie tried to give him her best glare, but it only made him laugh. Taking the phone, she cleared her throat, "Hello?"

"Oh, Stephanie dear, how are you this morning?"

"I'm good," she squeaked out. "What can I do for you this morning?"

"Well, I wanted to get with you some today and chat. Would that be possible?"

Stephanie thought for a moment, "I need to pick my son up in an hour. I have to be to work around two in the afternoon, but I think I'm free in between."

"Oh that sounds wonderful. I can't wait to meet your son." Ma stopped for a moment, "I don't have a vehicle, would it be possible for you to come to the hotel and get me? I'll give you gas money."

"No problem at all. I'll actually be near there picking up my son. I'll see you in just over an hour?"

"Sounds good, dear. Oh, and tell Woody I said good-bye and behave."

Stephanie hung up the phone and turned beet red, "She said bye and behave."

Woody laughed and pulled Stephanie to him. Wrapping her up in his arms, he kissed the back of her neck and sighed. "I'm sorry if I crossed any lines this morning. I didn't mean to get carried away, but once I had you in my arms and kissing you, I just couldn't stop."

"I didn't want to stop either, but it's a good thing that your mother called when she did," Stephanie admitted.

"Why's that?" Woody questioned.

Deciding she needed to be serious and honest with him, Stephanie flipped to her back and looked up at Woody. "I don't want to rush into anything. I told you last night, I've only been with one person, and you know how that came to be. I guess you could say it kind of scared me; I'm afraid to be with someone again."

"Andeo, I'd never hurt you. If you ever, and I do mean ever, tell me to stop or back off, I will. No questions asked. I don't want to do something you are not ready for."

"How did I get so lucky?" she asked. When she saw the confusion on his face, she told him, "I never thought I'd ever find someone who would want me in his life; especially when they found out I have a child."

"I'm the lucky one. I get to have a beautiful lady to share my days with and she comes with an adorable little boy who, even though I've not spent a lot of time with, he's captured a part of my heart that I didn't know existed."

Woody leaned down and kissed Stephanie on the lips again, happy when he felt her arms slip around his neck and pull him down. He decided then and there that this was what he wanted; to fall asleep and wake with Stephanie in his bed every night. He just hoped she'd want the same thing when the timing was right.


	9. Chapter 9

_Thank you, Amy, for all the help and suggestions! You rock!_

Stephanie held J.T. as she knocked on the door. "Where we, mama?" J.T. asked as they waited for the door to open.

"We are here to pick someone up," she smiled as the door opened to reveal Woody's mother.

"Stephanie, dear, come in." Mrs. Branson stepped aside and allowed Stephanie and her son into her hotel room. "I'm so glad you came." Looking at the boy in Stephanie's arms, Mrs. Branson smiled, "Oh, this must be J.T."

"Yes, Ma'am. J.T., this is Mrs. Branson."

"Mama, me down," he said as he squirmed out of her grasp. Once J.T. was on his own feet, he looked at Mrs. Branson and smiled, "Me, Jowa, but tall me J.T."

Stephanie and Woody's ma laughed. After Mrs. Branson grabbed a light jacket, they headed down to Stephanie's car. "Where would you like to go?" Stephanie asked.

"Maybe a park or someplace where your little one can play and we can talk."

Stephanie drove over to the park near The Play House and laughed as J.T. squealed to get out of his carseat. "Me play, mama, me play!"

Stephanie sat J.T. on his feet and told him, "You stay in the ship so I can see you, okay?" J.T. yelled okay and ran for the pirate ship.

"He sure is a cute lil guy, Stephanie," Mrs. Branson told her.

"Thanks. I do the best I can for him, but sometimes I wonder what I'm missing."

The two walked over to the table near the pirate ship and sat down. Stephanie could tell Darlene had something to say, so she just waited for her to collect her thoughts.

"Woody's told me a little about you and your son. I know what happened." Stephanie's face turned red with embarrassment and she looked away. "I'm sorry if I upset you, but I wanted you to know."

"I'm not upset that you know. I'm just embarrassed," Stephanie quietly said.

"Child, why are you embarrassed? You did nothing wrong."

"Mrs. Branson," Stephanie began.

"I thought I told you to call me Ma, honey," she smiled.

"Ma," corrected Stephanie, "I know it wasn't my fault, but I know there are people who think I led him on somehow, or did something to encourage him to do what he did."

"Who on this earth thinks you encouraged a boy to rape you?" Ma asked getting madder by the second.

Stephanie swiped at her eyes, "My own parents."

Ma couldn't believe her ears, "Did they tell you that?"

Looking out at her son, Stephanie shrugged, "Not in those exact words, but close enough." She looked out past J.T. and recalled her conversation with her parents.

"_Mom, I need to talk to you and Dad."_

_Helen looked at Stephanie and sighed, "What about this time?" she asked as she put dishes away._

"_Please, I need to tell you both at the same time," Stephanie begged._

_Helen called Frank to the kitchen, "Evidently, she has something to tell us at the same time." Helen and Frank took their seats at the table and waited._

_Taking a huge breath and slowly blowing it out, Stephanie began to tell him, "Three months ago, one night while closing the pastry shop, Joe Morelli stopped in."_

_Helen smiled, "Oh, I've always liked that boy."_

_Stephanie snorted, "Well, you may change your opinion of him when I tell you this. That night, when he came in, he locked the door behind him and proceeded to throw me to the floor and rape me."_

_Helen and Frank looked at Stephanie like she'd lost her mind. "What did you do to tease him?" Helen asked._

"_Tease him? I didn't do anything to him. I told him no over and over, but he didn't listen. Now, I'm three months pregnant," she yelled._

"_YOU'RE WHAT?" screamed Frank. "Did you just say you're PREGNANT?"_

"_Yes, Daddy," she cried._

_Picking up his coffee mug, Frank threw it against the wall and left the kitchen. Helen stood up and glared at Stephanie, "You will not repeat this to anyone. Everyone knows Joe Morelli is a decent young man. For Christ sake, Stephanie, he went into the Navy to make something of his life. How dare you try to ruin that!"_

_Stephanie couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I didn't do anything to ruin him. He's the one that did that."_

"_Get out!" Helen yelled. "Get out of my house and don't ever come back. You are no longer welcome here."_

_Shocked, Stephanie walked to the living room to see her dad. He looked up from the television and she saw the disappointment in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Daddy. Even though I didn't do anything wrong, you think I did."_

"_You best do as your mother said," was his only reply._

_Stephanie ran upstairs, threw some clothes into her bag and left the house._

Sometime during Stephanie telling her story, Ma moved around the table and placed her arms around Stephanie. She couldn't believe that she'd been thrown out on her own during the time she needed support the most.

"I'm so sorry to hear what happened. I wish I'd known you then. You could have come and stayed with me," Ma said as she rocked Stephanie back and forth.

"I'm sorry," Stephanie said as she wiped her eyes and tried to stop crying. She didn't want J.T. to see her crying and become worried. "I didn't mean to cry all over you. I guess I've just held that in for so long. I try not to think about it and just move on, but it still hurts. I just… sometimes I find myself wondering who is ever going to want a relationship with me. I come with a child and am damaged."

"Stop that right now," Ma scolded her. "My Woody, he loves you dear. And he loves your little boy. He hasn't known you that long, but the way he talks about you and your son, he's not going anywhere."

Stephanie knew she had no reason to doubt what Ma told her, but she still couldn't believe it fully. "What about when he finds someone else who doesn't have a kid? What about when he's ready to settle down and get married? He's not going to want a ready-made family."

"Stephanie, let me tell you a little about myself and my children." Stephanie nodded and smiled as J.T. ran up the stairs to go down the slide again. "I know Woody has told you about all his siblings, right?" Stephanie nodded. "So, you know my Aubrey is twenty-six. But, what you don't know is she was not my husband's daughter."

Stephanie turned to look at Woody's mom. "What?"

"Aubrey was thirteen months when I met Kevin. I, like you, didn't think anyone would want to be with me since I was already with a child. However, Kevin took one look at me and that was it. We were together every day. He fell in love with Aubrey. He was the only father she ever knew."

"We were married three months after we met and eight months later, Benjamin was born. Kevin never treated Aubrey any different than he treated the other kids. They were all his kids and he made sure everyone knew that."

"Do they know? That she wasn't Kevin's real daughter?" Stephanie asked.

"Oh, I'm sure if they really sat down and thought about it, they'd figure it out. I'm sure some of them have, but no one has ever said anything. It's not that we kept it a secret from them; we just never talked about it. He raised her as his own and, honestly, we never really thought any differently."

Stephanie stared at her son as he dug for worms, "That is what I want for my son. Someone who thinks of him as their own and doesn't treat him any differently from any other children we have."

"Don't lose hope, my dear. I know my Woody. He's just like his father." Ma took Stephanie's hand, "Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if he were to ask you to marry him soon." Ma had to laugh at the look on Stephanie's face, "Relax my dear. It doesn't mean you have to get married right away. But, I do know he's falling in love with you. And, I've seen how you look at him."

Stephanie allowed J.T. to play a little longer and decided it was lunchtime. After gathering up his rocks and a few worms in a cup he'd found, they were heading to Stephanie's place. Once they arrived, J.T. ran to his room and put his worms in his fish bowl that was filled with dirt.

As Stephanie began working on lunch, her phone rang. "Hello?"

"Afternoon, Andeo."

"Hey there, Cowboy. How are you?" she asked with a smile.

"I'm good. I'm missing you, though," he admitted. "I really enjoyed waking up with you in my arms."

Stephanie smiled a little more, "I enjoyed it as well."

"How are things going with Ma?" Woody asked.

"Surprisingly well. I know, you told me everything would be fine, and I should have listened," she admitted as she finished J.T.'s turkey sandwich. Setting the plate down, she turned to get his juice and a napkin.

"I'm just glad you two are talking. Hopefully there are no embarrassing childhood stories of me yet."

"No, not yet. But, I'm sure we'll get there soon."

"I hate to cut this short, but I need to go. Les and I are heading out to pick up a skip."

"Be careful and call me later, okay?"

"Will do, Darlin'," Woody told her. "Volim te," he said as he hung up.

Staring at her phone, Stephanie didn't hear Woody's mom enter the kitchen. "Stephanie, dear, what's wrong?"

Startled, Stephanie turned with a confused look on her face, "Do you speak Croatian?"

Ma sighed, "No, I was too old and set in my ways to learn a new language when we moved there. Only my youngest four learned. Why do you ask?"

"Well, every once in a while, David will say something in Croatian and I can't understand him. He just did it again before he hung up. The only word I know right now is when he calls me Andeo, I know he's calling me Angel."

"Why does he call you Angel?"

"It's my stage name," Stephanie whispered still a little embarrassed about her job.

"Well, Angel fits you, but I'll stick with Stephanie," Ma smiled as she made sandwiches for her and Stephanie.

Finishing his lunch, J.T. asked, "Mama, me sleep?"

"Of course, sweetie. Let's go," she said as she held her hand out for J.T. "You go potty first and I'll get your music set."

Once J.T. was in bed and falling asleep, Stephanie went back to the kitchen, "Sorry, we have a routine that we follow when he's going to bed, even if it's only for a nap."

"Don't apologize. I like seeing you interact with your son. I do have a question, though."

"Ask away," Stephanie said as she took a bite of her sandwich.

"What's his given name?"

"Joshua Todd," Stephanie told her. "He's named after two very important people in the life I started here. Tank, the bouncer at the club I dance at, his name is Pierre Joshua. He's the man that first found me, sleeping in the alley behind the club. He took me in, gave me some food and let me take a shower. He's been there for me ever since."

"Todd is the manager of the club and also the owner of this place. He and his wife gave me a place to live before I had the baby, and after J.T. was born, they allowed me to move in here for half the rent. Todd and his wife are adopted grandparents for J.T."

"I'm glad you found some decent people to help you during your time of need," Ma said as she squeezed Stephanie's hand. "It's important to have people you can count on."

The rest of the afternoon was spent with Stephanie and Woody's ma talking and getting to know each other. By the time Stephanie took Ma back to the hotel, she felt like she'd known her forever. They made plans to get together for dinner the next night with Woody and J.T.

During Stephanie's time at The Play House, she had a feeling that she just couldn't shake. During her break, she tried calling Woody, but kept getting his voicemail. She knew when he was on a stakeout, he only answered if it is was his boss or someone else from work.

When her shift was over, she headed home, said goodnight to Lula, checked on her son, and got ready for bed. She tried calling Woody one last time and reached his voice mail again. Giving up, she grabbed a glass of water and headed for her room.

Just as Stephanie crawled in bed, her phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, she smiled, "Hey there, Cowboy. Rough night?"

"Steph, I… I've been hurt," she heard as Woody gasped for air.


	10. Chapter 10

_I'm so sorry for the delay in posting...had a lot going on and then my laptop had a stroke and needed to recover. Anyway, not sure if you are still reading this story, but if just one person is, here is the next chapter. I hope you'll enjoy and I'll try to have my updates regular again._

_A huge thank you to Amy (Stephfan6511) for all the work you do on the chapters... I'm sure they read a lot easier because of you! Thanks for the support!_

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><p>Woody walked into the office and was met by Lester, Zip, Zero, and Bobby. All of them had noticed he'd not been home the night before and that he was wearing yesterday's clothes. "Dude," started Lester, "Where were you last night? We all know you didn't come home."<p>

Woody knew he wouldn't be able to hold off telling them much longer; especially if he started staying the night at Stephanie's. When he thought of how they'd woken up that morning, he felt his blood begin rushing south and knew he had to think of something else quick.

"I was out, problem with that?" he asked as he pushed past the guys.

"Who was she? What'd she look like? Was she good?" Lester quizzed as they walked.

Woody, unable to take the questions about his night, spun around, grabbed Les by his shirt, and pushed him against the wall. "What I did, who I was with, and where we were are none of your concern. Do I make myself clear?"

Zip and Zero were ready to pull Woody off Lester while Bobby just stood by laughing. "Man, I told you, he doesn't look like someone you want to piss off."

Lester put his hands up to show he wasn't a threat, "Man, I was just fucking around with ya. Chill."

Woody let Lester go and he headed for his apartment. He needed to get changed so he could head out for the day. After he changed clothes, he reached for his phone, and called Stephanie.

"Hey there, Cowboy," he heard when she picked up the phone.

"Hey, Darlin'. I just wanted to call, tell you to have a good day, and thank you for last night."

"I enjoyed last night, too. And this morning," he heard her reply. He could imagine her blushing as she said it.

"I thoroughly enjoyed this morning. I'm heading out into the field, so I'll be available by phone if you need me. I'll call you later tonight to see how the day went."

"I can't wait. You stay safe, okay?"

"I'll try, Andeo. Tell J.T. we'll go worm huntin' this weekend, okay?"

After he hung up with Stephanie, he headed upstairs to grab Lester so they could go skip hunting. Reaching the command floor, Woody headed off to find Lester who was in the break room.

"Man, don't you ever stop eating?" Woody asked as he poured himself a mug of coffee.

"Hell no, man. I love food." Lester looked at Woody and grinned, "So, seriously, where were you last night?"

"Why does it matter? Are you my daddy?"

"No," shivered Lester. "Just a few of us went to The Play House last night. Half expected you to be there."

Woody took a sip of his coffee and shrugged, "Why would I be there?"

Before Lester could answer, Ranger stepped in the room, "Gentlemen, we need to roll. We just got a lead on a major skip. Let's go."

Woody and Lester grabbed their gear and ran down the stairs to the garage. Hopping in their SUV, they flipped their shades on, and tore out of the garage. "Where we headed?" asked Lester.

"No clue. Just follow Zip and we'll find out."

Lester wove his way in and out of traffic trying to keep up with Zip. Just as they rounded a corner, Woody's phone rang.

"'Sup?" he answered.

"Turn around," came Ranger's voice, "the skip was picked up by the cops. I think we just lost this one."

"Shit, that's gonna put him in a pissy mood for the day," Lester grumbled as he turned around to head back to the office. "I'm gonna hit the gym, what about you?"

Woody and Lester hit the gym for just over an hour before they realized it was time to head to the surveillance spot. They were waiting on a few skips to show up. While they waited and kept an eye out, Lester decided to start on Woody again.

"So, seriously, where were you last night?"

Woody glared at Lester, "Drop it. My personal life is private. Not up for discussion."

Relentless, Lester pushed on, "Who was she? Was she hot? How was the sex… mind blowing?"

Woody was about to punch Lester when he saw movement in the side mirror, "Movement behind us."

Lester looked in the rearview and side mirror and finally saw what Woody was talking about. With both men looking in the side mirror's, they slowly reached for their guns, and waited for the perpetrator to come closer so they could make a positive ID. Neither man saw the skip in front of the SUV until it was too late.

Woody looked out front as he heard the pop from the gun. He knew it was too late to move as the bullet pierced his skin. Lester hit a button on the dash, alerting Rangeman to trouble, jumped from the SUV and ran after the skip, kicking him in the back of the knees. When the skip dropped to the ground, Lester cuffed him and hauled him back to the SUV. Once the skip was secure, he called an ambulance, thankful when they said one was already on the way.

While waiting for backup and keeping an eye out for whatever had been behind them, causing them to be distracted before, Lester checked on Woody. He was bleeding and all Lester could do was apply pressure to the wound. "Hang on, man. Don't pass out on me. Help is on the way."

"Phone," Woody chocked out. "Need my phone."

Lester pulled Woody's phone off and handed it to him. Woody pushed two, talk, and waited. When she picked up, all he was able to get out was, "Steph, I… I've been hurt," before he dropped the phone.

OOO

"David, where are you?" Stephanie asked as she bolted out of bed. "David? Answer me, please!" she begged.

"Hello?" she heard another voice on the phone.

"Who is this?" she asked as she slipped into her jeans.

"Who's this?" came the male voice on the other end.

"Damn it, don't play fucking games with me. Who the hell is this?" Stephanie demanded as she searched for her hoodie.

"My name is Ranger. Now, who is this?" he questioned again.

"This is Stephanie. I'm David's, I mean Woody's, girlfriend. Who are you?"

"I'm his boss. He can't come to the phone right now," Ranger told her.

"No shit! He just called me and told me he was hurt, how bad is it?"

"We're taking him to Miami General. Get there when you can," Ranger told her and hung up.

Stephanie stared at the phone for a moment and dialed a number she knew by heart. "Speak," came the gruff voice.

"Big Guy, I need your help."

"Angel? Are you okay?" Tank said instantly on alert.

"I'm fine, but I need you to come sit with J.T. Woody's been hurt and is on the way to the hospital. I need to go," she cried.

"On my way. Just hang on," Tank told her as he reached for his clothes.

Stephanie hung up with Tank and called Woody's ma. She told her what was going on and promised to pick her up on the way to the hospital. As soon as Tank arrived at Steph's, she left for the hotel and hospital.

Walking through the doors into the emergency room, Stephanie noticed a wall of black, but ignored it. Instead she walked up to the desk and spoke to the nurse, "My name is Stephanie Plum and I'm here to see David Branson."

The nurse checked the computer and shook her head, "I'm sorry, Miss. There is no Mr. Branson in our system."

"Woody. How about Woody?" she tried again.

Before the nurse had a chance to look that up, Stephanie felt a presence behind her. Turning around she saw Lester and a few other men. "Beautiful, what are you doing here?" asked Lester.

"I'm here to see Woody," she stated.

"Why's that? How did you know he's here?" Lester asked with surprise in his voice.

"He called me and told me he was hurt. A man named Ranger told me he was coming to the hospital."

Lester turned around, "Rangeman, you talk to someone about Woody?"

Ranger stepped forward, "Are you Stephanie?" Stephanie nodded. "Yeah, I talked to her. She said she's Woody's girlfriend."

Lester laughed, "He doesn't have a girlfriend. This is the stripper from The Play House."

Stephanie was about to say something, but felt a hand on her shoulder, "Young man, I don't know who you think you are, but trust me when I tell you, this young lady has been dating my son. Now, are you going to be nice enough to tell us where he is and what happened, or do we need to find someone else who will?"

Lester stood there staring at the older woman and blinked, "Sorry, Mrs. Branson. I just, we didn't know Woody was dating anyone, let alone the stripper from the club."

Stephanie felt herself getting irritated; partly because Lester kept referring to her as _the stripper _and partly because it was obvious Woody hadn't told anyone about her. She knew it was too good to be true; he was afraid to tell anyone about her for fear of being teased. She made up her mind; she'd just check on him and then leave. She didn't want to cause any more harm than she already had.

"He's in surgery right now," Ranger offered. "Can I get either of you some coffee or something?"

Stephanie shook her head and Ma smiled, "No, thank you. We are fine for now. But, could you please tell us what happened?"

Ranger led Stephanie and Mrs. Branson over to the waiting area. Two men dressed in black stood up and offered the ladies their chairs. After they were seated, Ranger scrubbed his face and began telling the story.

"Lester and Woody were on a stakeout this evening. They both noticed movement in the side mirrors. While looking in the mirrors to see if they could find the source of movement, a skip snuck up in front of the truck and fired through the windshield, hitting Woody in the chest. Lester took the skip out and called for backup. When I arrived, Woody had already used his phone to call someone." Ranger looked at Stephanie, "I'm assuming it was you he called."

"Yes," she nodded. "He called me and all he said was he'd been hurt."

"He passed out just after he told you that. I wish I had better news for you, but until the doctor comes out, we don't know anything else," Ranger explained and waited.

Darlene and Stephanie sat there wondering when they'd hear information on Woody when Stephanie noticed another man in black kept staring at her. She began feeling very uncomfortable and stood up, "Excuse me for a few minutes. I need some fresh air."

"Do you want me to come with you, dear?" Darlene asked.

Shaking her head, Stephanie replied, "No. I'll be fine. Just need some air is all." Stephanie took off for the doors and stepped into the cool night air. As she stood there trying to get her emotions under control, she sensed she wasn't alone. Turning around, she saw Lester standing behind her.

"Angel, I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I didn't realize Woody and you were dating. Hell, I just found out he was dating anyone."

"That doesn't excuse your attitude toward me. I may be a stripper, but I'm still a person. You know nothing about me so you shouldn't judge me based on the little information you do have," she stated.

Hanging his head, Lester nodded, "I know and I'm sorry." Looking around, he saw the coffee stand next to the hospital was still open, "Can I get you something to drink?"

"I'm fine, but thank you."

As Lester walked off to grab a drink for himself, Stephanie went to turn back around when she noticed the man from the inside was now outside and staring at her. She began to feel uncomfortable again and tried to head back inside, but he was blocking the door.

"Excuse me," she said.

He reached out to grab her and leered at her. "Oh you ain't going anywhere, sweet thang. Not unless I say you can." He wound his hand in her hair and pulled her closer to him. Just as he was about to kiss her, she screamed and saw a fist land in his face. Stumbling backwards, he let go of her hair and she was able to see Lester standing there ready to punch him again.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Lester yelled. "This is Woody's girlfriend."

"She ain't nothing but a fucking stripper man, she ain't his girlfriend."

Lester looked at him, "You're drunk again, aren't you? Damn it, Binkie, how many fucking times do you need to be told to stop the damn drinking?" Grabbing Binkie's shirt, Lester hauled him over to the bench and cuffed him there. He then ran back to Stephanie, "Angel, are you okay?"

Stephanie was shaking like a leaf and trying not to cry, "I'll be fine. Who is he?"

"He works with us. I'm sorry, I didn't know he'd follow us out here." Lester tried to take her in his arms, but she backed away, "Angel, are you hurt?"

"Just… just keep him away from me," she said as she ran inside.

Darlene saw Stephanie running into the building and went to her, "Steph, honey, what's wrong?" Stephanie shook her head; she didn't want to talk about it. "Come with me," Ma said and took her to the ladies room.

Once Stephanie had calmed down, she finally spoke, "He grabbed me and wouldn't let me go."

"Who?"

"I don't know who he is, but he works with Woody. Lester punched him to get him away from me and then cuffed him to the bench. He kept looking at me and gave me the heebie jeebies, so that's why I went outside. I didn't know he'd follow me out."

Woody's mother held Stephanie and rubbed her back while she cried. When the tears subsided, Darlene held her back a little, "Did he touch you? Did he do anything inappropriate?"

"No, he tried to kiss me, but he didn't make it."

"Let's go talk to the Ranger fellow. I think I heard he's the boss."

Stephanie and Darlene went to the waiting room just in time to see Ranger step away from the police. One of the officers looked up and asked, "Is this the young woman?" Ranger looked and nodded. "Ma'am, may we have a few moments of your time?"

Stephanie explained to the officers what happened and they took their notes. "Will you be pressing charges, ma'am?" they asked her.

"I don't know. He didn't really hurt me, just scared me," she replied.

The officer told her that she would be able to press charges if she wished, but she didn't have to decide at that moment; Binkie was being hauled to the police station and put in the drunk tank for the night.

After the officers and Binkie left, Ranger walked over to Stephanie, "I'm sorry for the actions of my employee. He will be dealt with whether you press charges or not. I will not tolerate my employees acting like that. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, but thank you." Stephanie looked around the room, "Any news on Woody?"

Just as Ranger was about to say no, the doors opened and the doctor stepped through.

"Family for David Branson?" the doctor asked as he looked around. Stephanie, Darlene, and Ranger all stepped forward.

"I'm his mother," Darlene said as she grabbed for Stephanie's hand. "Please, how is he?"

The doctor stepped forward, "I'm Dr. Wren. I was the surgeon assigned to your son. He is lucky to be here. The bullet nicked his heart, and had he not had on-site care, the outcome could have been different. He's going to be in pain for a while, but he should make a full recovery. He'll be in his room in about ten minutes. At that time, I can allow two visitors at a time."

Stephanie and Darlene nodded as Ranger pulled the doctor aside, "Dr. Wren, due to the nature of my business I need to place two guards outside his room while he's here. If someone were to learn he's out of commission for now, they may try to sneak in and finish the job."

The doctor looked at Ranger and nodded, "I figured. Your men have been in here before, so we all know the drill."

"Ma, I want to go see David for just a few minutes, is that okay?" Darlene nodded and walked down the hall with Stephanie. Once they reached the room, Darlene allowed Stephanie to go in alone.

Walking in the room, Stephanie was surprised at all the machines hooked up to Woody. When she walked up to the bed, Woody opened his eyes, "Andeo, I'm so glad you're here."

Stephanie smiled and carefully sat on the edge of the bed, "I'm glad you're going to be okay, Cowboy. You scared me."

"I'm sorry," Woody told her as he reached for her hand. Noticing something was bothering her, he asked, "What is it? What's on your mind?"

Gathering the courage she felt she needed, she offered a sad smile, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I…" She took a deep breath and slowly blew it out, "I'm sorry I ruined your secret and let the guys know you were dating a stripper. I guess that was something you wanted to keep to yourself."

As she stood to leave, Woody pulled on her arm, "Steph, please, sit and talk to me. I don't understand. You look like you're about to walk out of my life. I don't want that."

"Why not? You must be ashamed to be dating a stripper, so why? Why take me places? Why spend time with me and J.T.? Why introduce me to your mother?"

"I do all of that because I enjoy being with you. You're my Andeo." Taking as deep of a breath as he could, Woody tried to explain his actions. "I admit, I didn't tell anyone I was dating you but not because I was embarrassed or ashamed. I want to tell everyone we're dating."

"Then explain it to me, because from where I'm sitting, it doesn't make sense," she begged.

"I was afraid that if certain guys found out, they would either begin making derogatory remarks to you or about you. If they did that, I'd be beating guys up left and right. I won't stand for anyone to say anything offensive about you."

"I guess the other reason," Woody continued, "is because I knew once they found out I was dating someone, then our alone time would be sparse. I'm not ready to share you with anyone just yet. I want as much alone time with you as I can get. Well, with you and J.T."

Stephanie thought about Woody said; in some fashion, it made sense. She didn't want him beating up everyone he worked with and if Binkie was any indication as to how the rest of the guys would act, she could understand why he kept it to himself.

"So," she asked, "you aren't ashamed of me?"

"Hell no," Woody replied quickly. "I love you," he said before he brain had a chance to filter his thoughts.

Stephanie, hearing what Woody said, stood there shocked. She knew his ma had told her that Woody was falling in love with her but she didn't believe it. Just as she was finding the courage to say something back, the door opened with Lester and Ranger walking in.

Woody looked at the guys and growled. Mistaking the reason for the growl, Ranger raised his hand, "You don't need to worry about Binkie, we've had him taken care of, and Stephanie wasn't hurt."

"Binkie? What the fuck did he do? Steph, what happened between you and Binkie?" Woody asked as he tried to sit up in bed.

"Shit, she hadn't told him yet," muttered Lester as he approached Woody's bedside.


	11. Chapter 11

A HUGE thank you goes out to Amy (Stephfan6511). I don't think I can thank you enough for your help on this.

* * *

><p>Stephanie explained what happened outside the hospital. Ranger told Woody that Binkie was, once again, drunk. He called the cops and had Binkie arrested and would be going to speak to him. Woody wasn't happy that he'd not been there to protect Stephanie, but was glad that Lester was.<p>

"Thanks, man. I appreciate you helping Steph out," Woody said with a knuckle bump.

"Would have been easier had we known she was your girlfriend," Les teased him. "But I understand, you were keeping her all to yourself."

"That and I didn't want her being teased," Woody said as he reached for Stephanie's hand. "She's had a hard time already and she doesn't need more shit from you guys."

Lester looked at Woody and nodded, knowing that he needed to apologize to Woody for all he'd said earlier that night. Ranger and Lester left a little while later. Les needed to get back to the office while Ranger went to the police station.

Stephanie sat on the bed next to Woody and couldn't help the tears that were slowly flowing down her face. Reaching up to wipe them away, Woody asked, "Andeo, what's wrong? Please, tell me."

"Nothing," she whispered as she sat on the edge of the bed and played with the hem of her shirt.

Woody, noticing what she was doing, reached up with his hand and tipped her chin so she was looking at him, "Don't shut me out. Please. Tell me what's bothering you."

"Well," she began, "if you have to worry about what your friends are going to say, then maybe it's for the best if I'm gone. Then you won't have to worry about fighting them off. They'll never know you're seeing someone with a child. You can tell them whatever you want and they can have their fantasies about the stripper."

Woody fought to sit up and pulled her to him, "Listen to me and listen well. I am not worried about them knowing we're dating. It was stupid of me to keep that from them, but it was for selfish reasons; NOT because I was ashamed of you. I want to shout it from the rooftop that I've found the perfect woman for me."

Woody leaned in and kissed her. What started out as a gentle kiss quickly turned into something more heated as their tongues fought for control and arms wrapped around each other.

Just as Woody's hand began to slide up Stephanie's shirt, the door opened and Zero walked in. "Dude, get your hand out of her shirt before someone else walks in here."

Woody's hand stilled and Stephanie stiffened up. Looking over at Zero, Woody laughed, "Shit man, you scared the crap outta us."

"I just wanted to give you a hard time. Although," Zero said as he pointed, "looks like she already took care of that."

Stephanie followed where Zero was pointing and immediately felt her face flush, "Shit, I'm sorry," she said as she saw Woody living up to his name.

"Get out of here, Zero," Woody demanded as he pulled Stephanie to him. After Zero walked out of the room, Woody looked in Steph's eyes. "Darlin, this is nothing new. Do you know how many times I've been hard around you?"

Stephanie, unable to look away from the tent in his hospital gown, "That bad?" she asked.

Woody laughed which made Stephanie smile. "Andeo, I've had a hard-on since the day I met you. While it isn't always this, noticeable, I've been in some state of arousal every day."

Stephanie was surprised to hear Woody talking like that, but she figured he was at least being honest. "Doesn't it hurt to be like that all the time?"

Shrugging, Woody decided to be totally honest and hope he didn't scare her off. "I won't lie, it gets uncomfortable sometimes. To the point that I have to do something to alleviate the discomfort." When she figured out what he meant, she blushed and looked away. Turning her chin back to him, Woody told her, "Darlin', there's nothing to be embarrassed about. We all do it from time to time."

Quietly, Stephanie whispered, "I've never."

Before Woody could ask what she meant, the door opened and Darlene walked in, "There's my boy. How are you feeling?" she asked as she rushed to his bedside. "I've tried giving you all the privacy I could, but I can't stand it any longer."

Stephanie felt bad for monopolizing all his time, but before she could apologize, Woody pulled her closer to him, "I'm fine, Ma. Stephanie has been talking with me and making sure I don't do something stupid."

Darlene smiled at Stephanie and nodded, "I knew she'd take care of you. Now, how's your pain on a scale of one to ten? And don't pull that macho bullshit where you say you can handle the pain. Are you drinking liquids?"

"Ma, I'm fine. The nurses have it covered. Relax, okay?"

"Relax? My son gets shot and I'm told to relax. Oh please! When you have kids of your own, you'll understand that a parent never relaxes when their child is hurt. You just wait. You'll have a son one of these days and he'll be just like you."

Stephanie stifled a laugh as she thought about her own son. He hadn't tried to jump off the roof, but he did like to jump off her bed, the couch, the kitchen chair, anything that was high up for him. Looking at Woody, she smiled, "She's right, you know."

After visiting with Woody a little longer, Stephanie sighed, "I need to get back home. Tank's watching J.T. and they will be getting up soon. I don't want J.T. to get upset when I'm not there."

"I understand. Be sure to tell him I said hi." Woody pulled her in for a hug and kiss, "Thank you for being here."

"I'm just glad you're okay. Don't get shot again, okay? I don't know if I could handle this a second time." Stephanie waved bye to the Rangeman guys as she left the hospital. She didn't know them, but they were Woody's friends and co-workers, so she felt she should acknowledge them as she left.

After Stephanie left his room, Woody looked at his mother, "How bad was it with Binkie?"

Darlene pulled a chair up to his bed, "If Binkie is the person that followed her outside, it was bad. I guess he'd been watching her in the lobby and making her feel uncomfortable, but seeing as she didn't know the men out there, she didn't say anything. Just stepped outside for some fresh air. I could tell something was making her uneasy, I asked if she wanted company outside, but she refused."

"When she went outside, I told that Lester fellow that something wasn't right. He stepped outside with her. I don't know what happened, but when I turned back around, that Binkie kid was gone. A little time later, she came running in."

Woody clenched his fists. He wished he wasn't restricted to the bed; he wanted to get his hands on Binkie, but that would have to wait. As his eyes began to drift shut, he mumbled, "Take care of her, Ma."

OOO

Ranger walked into the police station and found Captain Paine. Shaking hands, Ranger told him, "I'm here to see one of my men."

Surprised, the Captain told him, "I wasn't aware we had one of your men here. I'll have him released."

"No," Ranger replied. "He's in the drunk tank and that's where he needs to be. I just need to have a few words with him."

Captain Paine walked Ranger to the holding cells and they found Binkie. The Captain left Ranger to speak to his employee in private.

"What the hell were you thinking?" demanded Ranger in a calm, quiet voice.

Binkie, being as drunk as he was, didn't catch how pissed Ranger was. "What? That stripper? She's just a piece of ass that Woody was banging. Hell, she'd probably bang any of us if we asked."

Ranger clenched his fists, trying to control his temper. Looking at Binkie, he made sure the punk was listening, "You are suspended. You need to sober up. I've let this slide for far too long. You will get your ass in AA and attend the meetings. When you've finished, then we'll discuss your return to work. This is your last chance. If you don't attend, you _will_ be fired. Are we clear?"

"What the fuck man? You're suspending me because of some piece of ass?"

"NO!" Ranger roared. "I'm suspending you because you've fucked up for the last time. I will not tolerate you disrespecting woman, let alone the woman of a co-worker."

"She's not his woman. She's his skank of the week," Binkie went on.

Ranger, not willing to fight with him, turned and walked away from Binkie. Before he left the room, Ranger looked back at Binkie, "AA or you're done." As Ranger walked out he heard a yell that he could only assume came from Binkie.

Walking into the Captain's office, Ranger took a seat and waited. "What do you want done?" asked Captain Paine.

"I told him he's suspended until he completes AA. He's to go straight from here to detox. I want a restraining order against him for one of my employee's girlfriend."

Captain Paine looked at Ranger, "I can do the detox, but the restraining order has to come from her; you should know that."

Nodding, Ranger continued, "I know, but I doubt she'll put one in. Is there any way around it?"

The captain ran his fingers through his hair, "I'll see what I can do, but don't count on it."

"Then count on my men keeping an eye on him," Ranger said as he stood up and left the office.

OOO

Stephanie walked in her place to the smell of coffee, bacon, and eggs. Quietly walking through the house, she snuck into the kitchen and grabbed J.T. out of his seat. "Mommy," he squealed as she hugged him tight.

"Morning. I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up."

"It otay. Mr. T telled me you was done."

Stephanie kissed J.T.'s head and sat him back in his chair. "Thanks, Tank," she said as she smiled at him.

"How'd it go?" Tank asked carefully. J.T. didn't know why he was there and he wasn't sure what Steph wanted to tell him.

"It went okay." Stephanie looked at J.T. and tried to figure out how to tell Tank what happened without scaring her son.

J.T. finished his food and hopped off the chair. Running down the hall, he yelled out, "Dotta do poddy."

Tank laughed as he gathered up the dishes and Stephanie began to tell him what happened. "Woody was shot in the chest last night. Bullet nicked his heart, but he'll be okay. Doc said he'll be sore for a while, but should make a full recovery."

Tank pulled Stephanie to him when he saw her chin quiver, "It's okay, Little Girl. I've seen him, he's in perfect health. He'll heal from this; it just might take some time."

"I know," she whispered as she fought the tears, "it just scared me. I talked to him before I came home and he seemed to be doing okay." Afraid he'd become even more overprotective, Stephanie made sure not to mention Binkie.

"Mommy, wut wong?" she heard J.T. ask from behind her.

Turning around, she picked J.T. up and walked to the living room with him. When she sat down, J.T. settled on her lap and looked up at her. "Sweetie, you know our friend, Mr. Branson?"

"Worm man?" J.T. asked with a smile.

Laughing at his name for Woody, Stephanie nodded, "Yes, sweetie. Well, he was hurt really bad last night, so I went to the hospital to be there for him."

"He be otay?"

"Yes. He'll be sore for a while, but he'll be okay. I just didn't want you to worry if you saw me crying. I'm just sad that he's hurt, okay?"

J.T. nodded and jumped off her lap, "Me draw him piture," he told her as he ran to his room.

Stephanie looked up to see Tank standing in the doorway looking at her, "Be careful, Angel. If he's been shot, you don't know what kind of people he hangs around. I don't want you or the little one to be hurt."

Just as Tank was about to leave, there was a knock at the door. Stephanie opened it and stepped back, smirking the entire time. Tank looked over at the door and his eyes bulged out…


	12. Chapter 12

_Thank you, Amy (Stephfan6511) for your work and help! I really appreciate it! _

_This chapter is jumping ahead a little... but not so much that things are missing!_

Five weeks after he'd been shot, Woody was sitting on the couch with J.T. watching _The Wonder Pets_ when Stephanie came out wrapped in a towel.

Woody looked up and winked, "Looking good there, Andeo."

J.T. looked away from the television to his mother and laughed, "Mommy, you thilly."

"What? You don't like my new dress?" she teased her son. J.T. just laughed and turned back to the show. Before heading down the hall, Stephanie looked at Woody, "Thank you for watching him for a few hours. Originally, I had tonight off, so I didn't need Lula."

"No problem, Steph. I like that I'm able to spend time with him."

Stephanie had been called into work when two other girls called in sick. She tried to get Lula to watch J.T., but she was having dinner with Tank. They had been seeing each other since they met the morning after Woody was shot.

Once she was dressed, Steph headed back to the living room. When she saw J.T. curled up on Woody's lap with his head against Woody's chest, thumb in his mouth asleep, she had to grab her camera for a picture. Once the picture was taken, she replaced the camera on the shelf and looked at her son.

"Want me to put him in bed?" she asked Woody who shook his head. "You know," she continued, "he doesn't fall asleep on just anyone."

Whispering, Woody replied, "Then I'm really glad I'm here to watch him." Placing a kiss on J.T.'s head, Woody added, "I hope he's always comfortable enough with me to fall asleep on my lap."

Stephanie leaned down and kissed her son goodnight. Leaning over J.T., she gave Woody a kiss on his lips, "Thank you, again. Lula should be here in a few hours."

"How about you call her and tell her to enjoy the night off with Tank. I want to stay and take care of him tonight," Woody told her.

Stephanie stood up and looked at Woody, "Are you sure? You don't have to do this."

"Steph, I want to do this. I love spending time with him. This will give us a chance to have some one on one male time; unless you don't want me here with him all night."

"NO," she yelled, "that's not it. It's just, I'm surprised, that's all. Usually the only men who have ever had anything to do with him are Todd and Tank."

"I've told you, I'm here for the long haul. I love you and I love your son. I want to spend time with the both of you; as much as I can. Let me do this, please?"

Stephanie couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips, "Okay. If you need anything, you know where to reach me. I'll call Lula and tell her to enjoy the night off. If you need her to come over for any reason, her number is on the fridge."

Leaning down to give him one last kiss, she whispered against his lips, "Thank you," one last time.

Walking into The Play House, Stephanie transformed in to Angel, but couldn't help the smile that wouldn't leave her face. Woody really did want to spend time with J.T. and get to know him. It wasn't because he felt obligated to, it wasn't because he was trying to get on her good side; it was because he really wanted to.

Passing by a few new girls, Stephanie headed out to the stage and began her dance.

WS-WS-WS-WS-WS-WS-

When Stephanie left, Woody looked down at J.T. and smiled. He never knew he'd enjoy the feel of a child sleeping on him; it was something he never thought he'd experience and now that he had, he found he enjoyed it immensely.

Woody sat there flipping through the channels while allowing J.T. to sleep. About an hour later, J.T. began to squirm. Woody looked down and smiled as he ran his fingers through J.T.'s hair, "Hey there, buddy."

"Worm man," J.T. smiled. "Mama?"

Sitting J.T. up so he could see him better, Woody explained, "Your mother had to work, so I'm watching you tonight."

"Tay," J.T. said with a yawn.

Looking around, Woody had an idea, "How about we make some cards and pictures for you mama." When J.T. grinned and nodded, Woody told him, "Go get your crayons and I'll get the paper. We'll work at the kitchen table."

J.T. hopped off Woody's lap and raced down the hall to his room. Running into the kitchen, he had his big box of crayons and markers. "Weady," he said with excitement.

J.T. and Woody spent time drawing pictures and making cards for Stephanie. J.T. drew all kinds of pictures and told Woody what they were so he could write it on the back. When everything was put away, Woody asked J.T. if he was hungry.

"Weally weally hungy. You yaked food?"

"Yes," laughed Woody, "I'll make us some food. How about you go wash your hands and maybe you can help."

When J.T. returned to the kitchen, he saw Woody had food all over the table and giggled. Woody turned around, "What's so funny?"

"Mama no make food yike yat," the little boy said while pointing to the mess.

"Yeah, well. I was taught to get everything ready first and then start mixing. So, how about you hop up in the chair and we'll get started."

WS-WS-WS-WS-WS-WS-WS

After her routine was done, Stephanie stepped off the stage and went to the dressing room. Pulling her phone out of her purse, she dialed Woody's number.

"Andeo," he whispered as he answered the phone.

"Did I wake you?" she asked.

Laughing, Woody told her, "No, I was actually waiting for the call. Give me just a second." Stephanie heard movement on the other end of the phone and wondered what was going on. "Sorry, Steph, I had to get out from under J.T. so I could talk to you."

"What? What do you mean out from under my son?" she questioned.

"We were watching _The Doodlebops_ when he and I stretched out on the couch. He curled up on my chest and laid his head down, thumb in mouth, and soon he was snoring."

"And you left him there instead of putting him in his bed?" she asked with a smile.

"Well, I…"

"You what, Cowboy?" she prompted when he stopped talking.

She heard Woody let out a long sigh, "I fell asleep, too."

"Aww, my two favorite males fell asleep on the couch and I missed it. Wish I had been there with the camera," she whispered. "How is he doing?"

"He's fine. We did some projects and he helped me make dinner. But, I had to give him a bath after that; I swear he wore more of the food than he ate. After the bath, we watched _The Doodlebops_ and that's when he curled up and fell asleep."

"Sounds like you two had a good night. What did you make for dinner?" She'd meant to make food for the three of them, but was called into work before she had the chance.

"I made my special hot dogs and mac-n-cheese. He loved it," Woody said with a huge smile.

"I'm sure he did… and I'm sure he loved that you allowed him to help." Stephanie looked around and saw one of the new girls coming in. "I hope he wasn't too much trouble."

"Never. He's a sweet boy, Steph. You've done a wonderful job raising him alone."

"I did what I had to do and what I knew how to do," she replied in a low voice. "I best get back to work. I'm done on stage for the night; the rest of the night is waiting tables and it's packed tonight."

"Be careful, okay? If you need anything, just call."

"I will be, Cowboy. Take care of my boy. Give him a kiss goodnight for me."

"Will do, Darlin'. Get back to work and know we both love you," Woody told her before hanging up and not allowing her to respond.

Stephanie shook her head and laughed, "One of these days I'll get to say it to him first," she said to herself. Putting her phone away, she headed up front and smiled at Todd. "I'm ready, what tables are mine?"

Todd looked at Stephanie and smiled, "Thank God you are here! I don't know what I'd have done if you'd said no. The new girls are starting tonight and I'm not sure how well they'll do. I may need you back on stage, but for now, tables six through eighteen. I hate to give you so many, honey, but I know you can handle them."

Stephanie nodded and reached around for her tray before heading off to the tables. She'd been working the tables for a few hours when she saw a group of young men enter and sit at one of her tables. When she approached table seven she saw there were actually three boys sitting there. She knew they were boys by the way they were acting; barley legal to be in the strip club and they were trying to hide the fact they'd never been there before.

"Hey there, what can I get for ya tonight?" she asked as she slipped back into her Angel persona.

One of the boys, he looked not a day over eighteen, looked at Stephanie and said, "How about a beer, Sweet-cheeks."

Stephanie smiled her best smile, "Let me see your hand," she said as she ran her fingers through his spiked hair. Not understanding what she wanted with his hand, he held up his left for her to grab. "No cutie, I need to see your right hand." He held up his right hand still wondering what she wanted. Looking at his hand, she shook her head and replied, "A Rootbeer it is."

"No, I meant a real beer," he said as he pulled his hand back.

"I'll tell ya what, sugar," she said while looking at him and his friends, "when you turn twenty-one, then come back and I'll serve you a real beer. Until then, it's rootbeer."

"How do you know I'm not twenty-one? Yesterday was my birthday," he exclaimed.

"Honey, I've been working here for a while and I know that when someone who looks like a baby boy but is twenty-one or older, they get their right hand stamped. Your hand is not stamped. No stamp, no beer. Now, if you're going to have a problem with that, you can take it up with the bartender or the bouncer," she said as she pointed to Jeremiah at the door.

The boys all looked and swallowed hard, "Rootbeer all around," the boys said. Stephanie smiled and nodded, "That's better." She returned with their rootbeers and smiled at them, "So, enjoying your first time at a strip club?"

The young boy who'd tried to get beer just smiled and nodded, unable to turn his attention from the new blonde girl on stage who had her breasts swinging in his direction.

Stephanie used her hand to close his mouth and patted his shoulder before walking back to the bar. "Gotta love seeing boys on their first night in a strip club. I swear, they look younger every time."

Jeremiah stepped up to the bar, "You done for the night Angel?"

"Yeah," she replied as she tossed her head back. "I'm so ready to go home and see my son and David."

"Yeah, I heard you were dating someone, how's it going?" Jeremiah pushed on.

"It's going great. He's wonderful with J.T., J.T. loves spending time with him, and so do I. He's a great man."

Jeremiah wrapped his arm around her shoulder, "Sounds like our little Angel has fallen in love, Todd."

"That she has," Todd replied with a smile. "Go on, get out of here. Thanks for filling in."

Stephanie said goodnight to Todd and Jeremiah before walking to the locker room to change and grab her purse. Once she had on her shorts and t-shirt, she walked out the back door to her vehicle. Keys in her hand, she walked out to the parking lot toward her car, amazed it was still packed. She never knew she was being followed until it was too late. Knocked unconscious from a hit to the head, she was dragged to a waiting vehicle that disappeared into the night.


	13. Chapter 13

_Thank you, Amy (Stephfan6511) for the work you do on my chapters! I really appreciate it!_

_Thank you all for the reviews and messages; I really appreciate it. Here is chapter 13 and I hope to be posting weekly again... things are finally setteling down here! Enjoy and let me know what you think._

_OH... before I forget again... some of you asked who was at the door when Tank stood there with his eyes bugged out... It was Lula; she and Tank began dating after they met the morning after Woody was shot... sorry, I tried to jump ahead in the story a little and forgot to add that much in._

Woody checked on J.T. one more time before reaching for his phone. It was going on one in the morning and he knew Stephanie was due to leave work around midnight. He hoped she'd just gotten caught up talking with one of the girls or maybe Todd, but in his heart, he knew something was wrong.

"Play House," came the voice on the other end.

"I need to speak to Todd or Angel, please," Woody said as he tried to control the pounding in his chest. _She's there_, he told himself over and over.

"This is Todd, what can I do for ya?"

"Todd, this is David, or Woody. I'm dating Angel."

"Yeah, David. How are you? Things okay with Angel?"

There went Wood's heart. He now had confirmation that Stephanie was not still at work. Where the hell was she? Did she have an accident on the way home? "Todd, I was hoping you would tell me she was still there. She's not home. Do you know what time she left?"

"Just a sec." He heard Todd yell over to someone asking what time Angel left before he came back to the phone. "Jeremiah said Angel left here about five after midnight. You sure she's not home and just not answering her phone?"

"I'm at her house. I was watching J.T. for her tonight. I'm going to call a few people. If you hear from her, please have her call me."

"I will. You do the same," Todd said before hanging up.

Woody looked on the fridge and found Tank's number. Dialing the number, Woody felt his fear taking over and he had to control it. When Tank answered, Woody knew he'd woken the man.

"Someone better be dying," came the gruff voice.

"Tank, it's Woody. I think Steph is in trouble."

He could hear Tank sit up and run his hand over his face, "What do you mean?"

"She left work an hour ago and isn't home. Todd said she's not there. I can't get an answer on her phone."

"Fuck. Give me a minute and I'll call you back."

Woody couldn't sit around for even a minute, so he dialed a number he knew by heart and waited. "Yo."

"I need a team here now," Woody said, foregoing all the pleasantries. As he rattled off the address, he heard a beep on the phone indicating he had another call. Not bothering to give Ranger more information, he flipped over to the other line. "Woody," he said.

"It's Tank. I'm on my way to The Play House. I need to talk to Jeremiah and find out why she wasn't walked out. The girls are always walked out when they leave alone. If you hear from her, call me."

Woody checked on J.T. once again and headed back to the living room. He dialed Stephanie's number and thought about throwing his phone when it went to voice mail. A knock at the door had Woody's heart racing. Opening the door, he came face to face with Ranger, Lester, and Bobby. He stepped back to allow them to enter.

"Explain," barked out Ranger.

"Keep your voice down," scolded Woody. "I don't want J.T. to wake up yet."

"Who the fuck is J.T.?" asked Lester.

"Watch the language and I'll tell you. J.T. is Stephanie's son. He's sleeping right now and I don't want him to wake up." Woody saw the looks on their faces, but didn't have time to explain. "Look, Steph is missing or hurt or something. She left work just after midnight. It's a five minute drive here and she's hasn't shown up yet. She's not answering her phone, although now it is going straight to voice mail. Something isn't right."

Lester looked around the room at the pictures and toys, "Where's the father?"

"He's not in the picture. I don't think he even knows where she is or that she has a kid. It's not my place to tell all, but just know he's not part of this."

Ranger looked around and found a decent picture of just Stephanie, "Can we borrow this?" Woody nodded as Ranger took the picture off the mantle.

With another knock at the door, the guys all reached for their guns. Woody answered the door and saw Tank standing there looking pissed. Tank saw the men in the room and asked, "Who the fuck are they?"

"These are some of the guys I work with," Woody explained as Tank entered the room. "Tank, Ranger, Lester, and Bobby," he said in way of introduction. "Tank is a bouncer at The Play House and one of Steph's closest friends."

"Any ideas?" Lester asked Tank as he took in his size. Wasn't hard to understand how he obtained his name.

"None. Todd and Jeremiah said they didn't see anything unusual. Normal customers, no fights. Not a damn thing," Tank said as he scrubbed his head. "How's my buddy doing?" Tank asked Woody as he stared down the hall.

"He's sleeping; has no idea what's going on. I don't know what to do. I want to be here for him, but I want to help find her. I can't just sit around and do nothing."

"How old is the boy?" Ranger asked.

"He's almost three. Why?" Woody questioned.

"Bring him back to Rangeman. Maria can watch him during the day while we look and then you can be with him at night. Either here or at the office."

"He'd be better if things changed as little as possible, so here at night would be best," Tank informed the men. "He's only ever spent the night at my place or Todd's. I can bring Lula in to sit with him in the day some, but she does still have class."

Tank saw Ranger and Bobby look at him wondering who Lula was. "Lula is his babysitter. She watches him while Angel's at work. If he doesn't see her some, he's going to know something bad happened."

"What the hell do you suggest we tell him? That his mother is on vacation and didn't take him with? I plan on telling him the truth," Woody yelled under his breath as to not wake the sleeping boy.

"Les, you and Bobby head to the club. Talk to everyone there, someone had to have seen something." Looking at Tank, he asked, "Do you guys have cameras on the lot?" Tank nodded, "Get the tapes, go over them and see if you can see anything." Ranger glanced at Woody, "We'll find her, don't worry."

Looking at Tank, Ranger asked, "Do you know what way she drives home?" Tank nodded again. "Let's go, you'll ride with me and we'll see if we can find anything."

"I already drove that route over here," Tank said.

"Well, we're going to drive it again and see if you missed anything."

"I didn't," Tank stated roughly.

As the guys all left, Woody checked on J.T. once more. Kissing his forehead, he rubbed the kids hair out of his face and whispered, "We'll find her, son, and bring her home to you… and to me."

Woody waited until six in the morning before placing one last call. The call he didn't want to make, but knew he needed to before he lost his mind. On the second ring, he heard her voice and lost control of his emotions.

"Ma, something has happened to Steph," he said as the tears began to leak out.

"Woody? What happened? Is she alright?" Darlene asked him.

"I don't know, Ma. She never made it home last night and no one has seen her since she left work. I'm at her place; I was watching J.T. last night and waiting for her. She never showed. I don't know where she is. I don't know what to tell that beautiful little boy," he rambled.

"I'm on my way," Darlene said to him.

"No, Ma. I don't need you to come out here. I have J.T. taken of and people looking for her. I just needed to talk to someone."

Darlene and Woody talked on the phone for a little over an hour before J.T. made his way to the living room, rubbing his eyes and carrying his blanket. Crawling up on Woody's lap, J.T. snuggled down and closed his eyes.

"Ma, I need to go. J.T. just got up and I'm sure he's going to be hungry soon."

"Keep me informed, son. Give that sweet baby boy a hug and kiss for me and give one to his mother when you find her," Darlene said before hanging up.

Woody closed the phone and wrapped his arms around J.T., "Morning," he whispered.

Yawning, J.T. replied, "Morng." Looking around the room, he finally asked, "Mommy?"

Woody took a deep breath and tried to figure out what to tell him and decided to go with, "Mommy's not here right now, but I know she sends her love to you." That seemed to satisfy J.T.

"Hungy," he told Woody.

"Okay, would you like to go out for pancakes?" J.T. nodded and jumped down off Woody's lap.

As he raced for his room, he hollered, "Me get dessed!"

Woody smiled for the first time since midnight as he stood and stretched. He tried one last time to reach Stephanie by phone, but again, was connected to her voice mail.

When J.T. was ready, he loaded him up in his truck and drove to RangeMan. He knew Maria would be fixing breakfast for the guys and he wanted to get started on the search. Pulling into the garage, he noticed Les, Bobby, Zip, and Zero stepping off the elevator and walking to the cars.

Pulling J.T. out of the car seat, he carried the boy to the group of men, "Guys, this is J.T. He's Stephanie's son. J.T., these are some of the guys I work with: Lester, Bobby, Zip, and Zero." J.T. laughed at the last two names, pulling smiles from the men. "Any news yet?" Woody asked them.

"None, but we aren't giving up. Ranger said if you came in today, to tell you to find him. He and Tank are up in his office," Lester said.

"Mr. T's here?" J.T. asked with a smile.

The men looked at the kid like he was crazy, but then Woody said, "Yeah, he's upstairs. Want to go see him?" J.T. nodded his head vigorously and smiled. He loved Tank and wanted to see him soon.

On the ride up the elevator, J.T. pointed to the camera and asked, "What's yat?"

"That," Woody replied, "is a video camera. There are people that watch the camera so they know if someone is doing something they shouldn't be."

"Yay yet in touble?"

"Yeah, they could get in trouble," Woody laughed. He realized he'd been spending so much time with the little boy that he no longer had trouble deciphering what was being said.

As they stepped out on the fifth floor, J.T. saw Tank and struggled to get down, "Mr. T," he yelled causing Tank to turn around.

Dropping down to one knee, Tank held his arms open and scooped up the little boy, "Hey buddy. What are you doing here?"

"Worm man said I dit panaks here." He looked around at all the men peeking out of their office wondering what was going on. "Where Mommy?"

Tank looked at Woody and knew he'd not told J.T. what was going on yet. He wondered how long they'd be able to hold off on telling him the truth. Just as Tank was about to say something, a tall dark haired man stepped out of the conference room and yelled, "Got him!"

Ranger, Woody, and Tank still holding J.T., took off for the conference room. They wanted to know who _him_ was and what was on the tape. Before Rider showed the tape, he nodded to the boy, "Should he be in here?"

Tank looked at Ranger who held up a finger and dialed a number, "Maria, can you please come get our little guest and get him some breakfast?" A few moments later, there was a knock at the door and Maria, a plump little woman with grey hair, stepped into the room. "I hear there is someone here who would like some pancakes."

J.T. smiled and held up his hand, "Me!"

Maria took his hand and led him out of the room before the men turned back to the monitor. "Show it," barked Ranger.

As Rider hit play, the men watched the scene from The Play House unfold before them. As he watched, Woody growled at the screen. Tank swore that he'd beat Jeremiah's ass for not walking Angel to her car. The rest of the men vowed to make the man pay.

They now knew who had taken Stephanie; now they just needed to find out where he was and why he took her.


	14. Chapter 14

_Thank you so much, Amy (Stephfan6511) for your help on this story. You say you don't do much, but you make the chapters flow better! You have awesome suggestions as well. _

_Here is chapter 14... please, let me know what you think!_

Stephanie woke up, found her arms tied behind her back, and tape over her mouth. Looking around, she could tell she was in the back of a van, but she had no idea who had her or where she was being taken. The only thought she had was she hoped her son was safe and unaware of what was happening.

Woody was her next thought. Would he realize she was missing and that someone had taken her or would he think she just walked away? No, he wouldn't think that; he knew how much she loved her son.

Feeling the van slow down, she prayed her time of being tied up was ending. The van stopped and she heard the door up front shut. She counted the seconds before the back door was ripped open and she was pulled out along with the big black bag next to the door. Looking up at the perpetrator, she saw a man she'd only run into a few times. She remembered he'd worked with Woody, but for the life of her, she couldn't remember his name at the moment.

Binkie reached out and jerked Stephanie from the van, "We're staying here for a few nights. My brother owns this place and no one will be here for a while." He reached out and unlocked the door, shoved Stephanie through, and locked it behind him. "Yeah, I see you're scared now, huh Bitch?"

Walking her to the bedroom, he looked around and noticed the windows were still boarded up. "This will work just fine. There is no one around for a good ten miles." Pushing her down onto the bed, he opened the black bag and pulled out a large thick chain with shackles on the ends. Placing one end around her right ankle, he then attached the other end to the metal handle bar on the floor.

"My brother use to keep his dog tied up in this room when people would visit. Trust me, if his dog couldn't break free from this, neither will you. This chain will allow you to get to the bathroom and that's it. I can't have you pissin' on the floor."

Undoing the rope from her hands, he allowed her to take the tape off her mouth. "Why are you doing this?" she asked. She fought hard to keep the tears away; thinking about surviving for her son was the only thing that helped.

"You thought you were better than us. Thought that some two bit stripper piece of ass was better than a military man. Bull shit. You're just like all the rest; show a little piece and take it away. Well, no more. You're mine now and I'll have you any time I want."

She could smell the alcohol on his breath with every word and began to worry. How would she be able to reach anyone and let them know where she was? Hell, she didn't even know where she was. Trying to think of how long they'd been on the road, she guessed it to be anywhere from seven hours or longer; depending on how long he kept her knocked out.

"Don't worry, I'm sure no one will be looking for you. That place goes through so many strippers, I'm sure they won't notice you missing." Binkie walked out of the room, shut, and locked the door behind him. Stephanie stood there and looked around. Nothing in the room looked enjoyable. The bed was small; a twin with old sheets and blankets on it. Dust covered every surface of the room and the floor looked like it hadn't been swept in some time.

Walking into the bathroom, she was happy to see there was at least some toilet paper on the counter. The shower was small, but enough that she could clean if she found herself alone in the house; there was no way she'd attempt a shower as long as her kidnapper was around.

"What the hell was his name?" she whispered to herself. "Bryan? Benson? No, some sort of name, wait, we use to call J.T.'s pacifiers binkies. That's it! His name is Binkie. Who the fuck names their kid that?"

Stephanie walked back to the bedroom and sat on the chair. She looked at the contraption on her ankle trying to find a way to take it off, but she couldn't see a way for it to happen. These were professional shackles; where the hell did he get these from?

The longer she sat there, the more she noticed her eyes becoming heavy. She really didn't want to lie down and sleep, but she had no other choice. Walking to the bed, she pulled the blanket back and prayed the sheets were clean. Lying in the bed, she thought of her son and fell asleep.

WS~WS~WS

Back in Miami Woody was tearing his hair out. He wanted to be out searching for Stephanie, but knew he needed to stay with J.T. until Lula got there to sit with him.

Tank walked in the conference room and looked at Rider, Ranger, and Woody. "Where did the tape come from that we saw earlier?"

Rider looked at Tank and swallowed before answering, "It was from the cigarette shoppe next door. We pulled the tapes from The Play House, but they were set to mostly grab the sidewalk and door."

"I'll have that fixed in an hour," Tank said as he reached for his phone.

Looking at Ranger, Woody asked, "What all do we know about him?"

Ranger pushed the file across the table, "Brian Bachinski, 21, raised by his mother, father was in and out of the picture, one half-brother five months older."

"Known locations of family?" Woody asked as he saw J.T. coming down the hall.

"Mother is deceased, brother has a small home hidden near Withlacoochee State Forest about six hours from here," Rider relayed.

The door opened and J.T. ran to Woody, "Worm Man, me thee momma?"

Woody placed J.T. on his lap and hugged him tight, "I'm trying buddy. How was breakfast?"

"Nummy. Me eated fawfles, eggs, and berries. Me bringeded you thome." J.T. said as he reached in his pocket and pulled out a squished strawberry, "See?"

Rider, Ranger, and Woody tried to stifle their laugh. Woody knew it meant a lot to J.T., so he accepted the squished strawberry and popped it in his mouth, "Mmm, that tastes like it had sugar on it."

"Yep. Those are the bestest."

"What are the bestest?" they heard coming from the doorway. When the men looked up, they saw Tank standing there with a large black woman dressed in bright orange spandex.

J.T. jumped off Woody's lap and screamed, "Wuwa."

Tank and Woody laughed as the large woman engulfed the little boy, "I'm Lula, his babysitter and mommas best friend. Tankie filled me in on what's going on. Where can I take J Man for some fun?"

Ranger stood up and shook Lula's hand, "I'm Ranger. If you want, you can take him up to my apartment on the top floor. There's not much in the way of toys, but there is a television if you want."

"I brought his coloring books, crayons, and favorite things. They were in his bag," Woody told Lula.

"Me bag in the kitchen," J.T. told Lula as he pulled back from her. "Wets go."

After Ranger had Zip show Lula to Maria's apartment, he turned to the men in the room. "I say our best bet right now is staking out the brothers house near the forest. I don't want to drive the distance, it will waste too much time. Rider, get on the horn to Jameson, get the jet ready now."

Rider nodded and left the room. Tank looked at Ranger, daring him to say something when he announced, "I'm going with."

Ranger looked at Woody and then Tank, "Understood. Woody, you too?" Woody nodded and stood. "Let's get loaded up. Tank, you ever work a gun?"

"Not in a long time, but yeah. I'm good with my hands, too."

"Follow me and we'll get you suited up. Not sure if I have Kevlar to fit, but we'll see what we have."

The men all piled into the SUVs and headed to the airport. Ranger, Woody, and Tank rode together while Rider, Lester, and Bobby followed. On the way, Tank asked, "How are we getting past security with all the weapons?"

"No security," Ranger responded. "We'll be using my company jet. We'll up to the hangar and load up."

Once they reached the airport, everyone hopped on the plane and took a seat as Jameson took the plane off the ground. In just over an hour, they'd be arriving at their destination.

On the way, Woody asked the one question that had been on his mind, "When did Binkie get out?"

"Seems he checked himself out two days ago. When I called the clinic, they said that he never participated in the group sessions and just signed out the other day and never gave a reason," Ranger informed them. "When we find him, he will be dealt with by us; no other agencies involved. He's hurt one of our own and I won't put up with that."

WS~WS~WS~

Stephanie woke up to the bed dipping down. Remembering she wasn't at home, her eyes flew open and she stared at Binkie.

"Bout time you woke up," he leered. As he reached out to brush her hair off her forehead, she slapped his hand away. "Now, don't be that way. I'm just trying to help you."

"If you want to help me, let me go back home," she whispered.

"There's no one for you at home. Woody doesn't really love you, he's just with you for a piece of ass."

"I have family that will be looking for me if they aren't already," she said. She wasn't ready to let him know about her son for fear of Binkie going after J.T.

"I doubt you have any family there other than the big goon that stands at the door. Hell, even he doesn't look all that bright."

"He's smarter than you," she replied.

Binkie stood up and began unbuttoning his shirt. When he removed the shirt, Stephanie saw the tattoo on his right bicep, "Nice skull," she retorted.

"Shut up, Bitch," Binkie said as he raised his hand to backslap her. Hearing the front door shut, Binkie jumped and ran to the living room. Stephanie heard two voices and wondered who the other one belonged to, but she didn't have to wait long as both people appeared in her vision.

Looking up, she saw Binkie approaching her again; only this time he was coming from the bottom of the bed and his pants were undone. Feeling a familiar fear race through her, she waited until he was positioned just right before bringing her knee up into his groin hard and forceful. Hearing him moan and groan brought her a small sliver of satisfaction but that was quickly doused when she heard the next comment.

"Now, now… is that any way to treat the man that is taking care of you?"

"He's not taking care of me," she yelled at the man whom she assumed was Binkies brother, "He fucking kidnapped me."

The man took a closer look at Stephanie and began slowly smiling. As he climbed up on the bed next to her face, he leaned down close and whispered, "How are you…. Cupcake?"

_Now, who guess that? LOL... leave me a review and I'll be back next Wednesday!_


	15. Chapter 15

_I know, I know... I'm so sorry it has taken so long to update. I promise to try and be better about updating weekly. RL has thrown a lot at me the past few months and i"m trying to deal with that... no excuse, I know. I hope you're still with me on this story. I promise it will be finished... I'm thinking only about a handful of chapters left. I hope you'll enjoy this one!_

Fear paralyzed Stephanie as she heard the word _Cupcake_. There was only one person to have ever called her that. Taking a closer look at the poor excuse of a man on the bed, she noticed that it was indeed Joseph Morelli with a buzz cut. Her heart began pounding faster and harder, she found it difficult to breathe, and she prayed that J.T. would end up with a loving family as she was sure her life was about to end.

"Ah, I see you finally recognize me," Joe said as he leaned down and ran his tongue over her cheek. "So sweet as usual." Binkie stood at the foot of the bed and watched his older brother interact with Stephanie.

"Yo, bro, how do you know this piece?" Binkie asked.

"This," Joe said as he looked over to his brother, "is Stephanie. My Cupcake; she's been mine since she was six and we were eight." Joe looked at Stephanie and smiled, "Bout time she came back."

"I didn't come back to you, you jackass," Stephanie yelled.

Joe looked at Stephanie and smiled, "Then what are you doing here?"

"I told you, he fucking kidnapped me! Told me he was brining me to his brother's house, guess that was a lie."

Joe smiled and shook his head, "No lie, Cupcake."

Looking confused, Stephanie stared at Joe, "Are you delusional? You only have one brother and it isn't him," she said pointing at Binkie.

"That's where you are wrong," Binkie spoke up. "We share the same father and are five months apart."

Looking at Joe for confirmation, she saw him nod and smile, "Yep, Brian is five months younger than me. Dad use to take personal vacations all the time to go fishing, so he told Mom. I found out about Brian when we were five and Dad started taking me on his vacations. No one else knows about him." Looking at Binkie, Joe asked, "Where did you find her?"

"She was in Miami, dancing at a strip club. Seemed to be giving it up to a few of the men, but turned me down; so I showed her."

"Stripper, huh? Well, maybe we can make that work for you here," Joe said as he looked over Stephanie's body. "Yeah, works for me," Joe sneered. As he looked at Stephanie's eyes, he smirked, "You know, Brian and I have always shared everything when we're together. Now, it looks like we get to share you."

Stephanie tried to get off the bed, but Joe reached out and grabbed her. Pulling her to him, he leaned down and began to kiss her lips. When he tried to snake his tongue into her mouth, Stephanie opened and bit down hard on his tongue. Tasting the blood in her mouth, she smiled when he screamed and jumped off the bed. The smile, however, didn't last long as Binkie ran over to her and slapped her face. "You stupid bitch, you're going to regret that."

Joe walked out of the bedroom and returned a few moments later with rope and duct tape. Seeing that Stephanie was struggling to break free from Binkie, he reached out and grabbed one of her legs. Pulling her to the corner of the bed, he used the rope to tie her leg down. Repeating the action three more times, Stephanie was securely tied to the bed and unable to move. While Joe was tying her up, Binkie was busy using the duct tape to keep her from screaming.

Once she was bound and tied, Joe and Binkie took off for the living room, leaving her alone for the moment. Sitting down in the chairs, Joe looked at Binkie, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming? I had no clue who was here and was ready to blow your head off! No one comes here unless I know about it ahead of time."

Binkie shrugged, "Needed a place to take her away from the guys I work with. This was the first place I thought of. Didn't figure you'd be on leave yet."

"Yeah, well. I'm done with the Navy. Bunch of assholes, I tell ya," groaned Joe. "Fucking bitch wanted a piece of me, so I gave it to her then the bitch cries rape. I got her to drop the charges, but the damage was done."

"Yeah, sounds like a real bitch to me," Binkie said. "So, how we gonna go about the bitch in the other room?"

"Don't you dare call her a bitch," growled Morelli. "We'll get to her in time; let her sit there and worry for a little bit. It's not like she's going anywhere."

Joe realized that the house had no food, so he stood up and grabbed his keys, "I'm heading to the store. We need food." Pointing to the back bedroom, he pierced Binkie with a glare, "Leave her alone until I get back, understood?"

Binkie nodded and grabbed the remote off the table before Joe walked out the door. After he heard the engine disappear, he stood up and walked to the bedroom. Looking at Stephanie tied to the bed and her mouth taped, Binkie felt himself begin to grow hard. Rubbing his erection through his pants, he smiled as he approached the bed. "Well, well, well. You and I are all alone again. Joey went to get some food in an attempt to give us some special time."

As he began unbuttoning his cargoes, Stephanie's eyes went wide. She knew what was about to happen and prayed for it to end quickly. She couldn't believe that she was about to be raped for a second time in her life. Her thoughts quickly turned to her son. She didn't want to leave him an orphan, but she sure as hell wasn't about to tell Binkie or Joe about him. She'd rather rot in hell.

She felt the knife slide against her stomach as Binkie sliced her clothes open, revealing her naked body to him. Closing her eyes tight, she never saw him set the knife down and begin to take his pants off.

WS~WS~WS

Woody and the guys had landed on a private airstrip and were currently driving a black SUV through town. Tank had punched in the address on the GPS system and they all hoped they arrived in time. When they were a mile from the house, Ranger pulled the SUV over to the side of the road and hid it in the trees.

Walking the rest of the way, each man was silent but knew what the other was thinking. No one liked the fact that Binkie had kidnapped a woman, let alone a woman who was seeing one of his co-workers. When they came to the dirt driveway, the all stopped and looked around.

"Boss," whispered Rider, "two sets of tracks. This one," Rider said as he pointed, "is fresh."

"Fuck," mumbled Woody. "Means there's at least two of them with her."

"Well, at least there was, but hopefully only one now. We take down whoever is in there and then wait for the other," Ranger commanded. "When we go in, Tank and Woody, you find Stephanie and make sure she's okay. The rest of us will take care of whoever is in there."

"I want him kept alive, Ranger," growled Woody. "I get a shot at him."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," acknowledged Ranger.

The men surrounded the house and, after Ranger and Rider picked the locks on the door, they all quietly entered. When Woody and Tank heard Stephanie scream, they tried to take off running, but Ranger and Lester held them back. "Don't run in there, we don't know if he knows we're here or not. Let's get in there, but keep our senses sharp."

As the men stealthily moved down the hall, they could see the door open at the end. Ranger, Rider, and Lester pulled their guns, while Bobby readied his medic bag. Tank and Woody were at the back of the line and couldn't see what was going on.

Walking up on either side of Binkie, Ranger and Rider had their guns trained on his temples, while Lester's gun was at the back of Binkie's head. "I suggest you back the fuck up, now," demanded Ranger with a low growl.

Binkie stopped moving and opened his eyes. When he saw the men surrounding him, he pulled himself off Stephanie and reached for his pants. "Don't move, mother fucker," Les said as his gun pushed into Binkie's head.

Woody rushed around the men and reached for Stephanie. Seeing that she was naked, he pulled a blanket up around her and tried to gather her limp body in his arms. "What the hell did you do to her?" he yelled at Binkie.

Bobby was at his side with his bag open. Reaching for his stethoscope, he looked at Binkie and waited for his reponse.

"Nothing. We were just about to have some fun before you all stormed in here," Binkie said with a sadistic smile.

Bobby listened to Stephanie's breathing and took her pulse, "She's okay. I think she just passed out. Get his ass out of here."

Ranger, Les, and Rider took Binkie out to the living room, while Woody stretched out next to Stephanie and Tank tried to get the rope undone from her legs and arms. Bobby snapped a smelling salt under her nose and they watched her come around.

Realizing she was awake and not alone, Stephanie began thrashing around as much as she could until she heard, "Andeo, I'm here. It's David. Calm down, please."

Freezing, Stephanie slowly opened her eyes to see Woody staring back at her. "David, is it really you?" she whispered.

"Yes, Andeo, it's me. I'm here. We are all here and you're safe now."

Stephanie, realizing her arm was free, slung it around Woody and held on for dear life. "I never thought I'd see you or J.T. again. Binkie, the one from the club, he kidnapped me and brought me here to Joe's. I never knew he was Joe's brother. Hell, I never knew Joe had a second brother."

Looking confused, Tank and Woody asked, "Who's Joe?"

"He's J.T.'s father," she admitted before hearing someone enter the hallway.

"Who the fuck are you?" she heard being yelled along with, "Get the fuck down", "put your hands behind your head", and "you son of a bitch."

When Stephanie heard Joe's voice, she froze in Woody's arms, "He's here again. Please, don't let him know about J.T."

Woody shushed Stephanie and held her tight while Tank went to the door to see who the scum sucker was that donated his DNA to Stephanie's son. Seeing the joke of a "man" being held by Ranger and Lester, Tank walked up to him, "You the fool that raped my little girl?"

Joe looked at Tank, "What the hell are you talking about… your little girl? I ain't slept with no black girl."

Tank, unable to stop it, landed his fist in Morelli's face. "I didn't say she was my daughter, I said my little girl. My little girl is in the room behind me."

"Oh, that bitch? I didn't do shit to her she didn't want," Joe sneered before he was roughly put to the floor by Ranger and Lester.

Before Tank and the rest of the guys knew what was happening, Woody was on top of Joe beating the shit out of him. "You raped her, you fucker. How the hell could you do that? And then you left her all alone to deal with the aftermath? You are a sorry son of a bitch and I'm glad you aren't in their lives."

Joe heard what Woody said and looked up at the doorway to see Stephanie standing there being held up by Bobby, "Their? What the hell is he talking about Steph?"

Knowing that Joe wasn't going to be able to do anything to her, she decided it was time to tell him, "You took something away from me that night, but you also left me with the most precious thing in the world. I have a beautiful son."

Joe looked at Stephanie and smiled, "A son? We have a son?"

"NO!" yelled Woody. "He's my son! Mine, do you hear me? Stephanie and that precious little boy are mine!"

Hearing what Woody said caused Stephanie to change her point of focus. Staring at Woody, she realized for the first time that he really did love her and J.T. Not only that, but that she loved him more than she ever thought possible. He was there for her and her son and he always tried to make sure they were happy. Hearing Woody claim J.T. as his own made her heart soar and she wanted nothing more than to be wrapped in his arms, but at the moment, she couldn't.

"What the fuck do you mean yours? As soon as I call the cops, you all will be in jail and I will claim my son," Joe roared.

Knowing that he'd do what he said, Stephanie decided she couldn't allow that, "No, Joe. If you try to take him, I'll run and you'll never find us. He's my son. You will not touch him or see him ever."

When Joe made a lunge at Stephanie, that was the last thing he ever did; before he even moved two feet, Rider fired his gun and hit Joe in the chest, dropping him to the ground.


	16. Chapter 16

_Here you go... Chapter 16. I think there might be one ,maybe two, more chapters to and this will be done._

_I'd like to thanks Amy (Stephfan6511) for all her work on this story (especially this chapter with find a huge mistake!). I really appreciate you taking the time to look things over for me and making sure I'm on the right track._

_Oh, yes... Karren... you totally guess what I'd planned on having things play out! Way to go!_

Woody, Tank, and Bobby went to the living room with Stephanie while Rider and Lester covered Joe's body. Ranger went to check on Binkie when he overheard Stephanie talking to the guys.

"I'm so sorry. I never meant for this to happen."

Ranger walked in the living room and stood in front of Stephanie, "It's not your fault. None of this was on you. You didn't ask for him to kidnap you, you didn't ask for your son's father to be here."

"No, but I don't want any of your employees going to jail for killing him," she cried.

Woody rocked her back and forth trying to comfort her while Ranger kneeled down in front so she could see him, "Stephanie, no one is going to go to jail. Trust me on this, okay?"

"How can you say that? There will be an investigation and they'll find out who killed him. Then one of your employees will go to jail. I can't let that happen." Frantically, Stephanie looked up at Woody, "Give me the gun, get my prints on it. I can claim self-defense or something. I can' t let…"

"Stephanie," Ranger said as he turned her face to him. "Do you trust Woody?" She nodded. "Do you think Woody trusts me?" Again, she nodded. "Then, do you think that you could trust me?"

Stephanie looked up at Woody and when he nodded, she looked at Ranger, "I guess," she whispered.

"Good. Then trust me. No one will be going to jail." Ranger stood up and looked at Bobby, "Check her out and then the four of you head back to the airport, we'll meet you there."

Bobby lowered himself to her eyesight and smiled, "Hi there. I don't know if you remember me or not, but I work with Woody. I'm also the company medic. Can I check you over and see how injured you are?"

Stephanie agreed to let Bobby check her over as long as Tank and Woody stayed right there. Tank was visibly upset that she'd been taken and hurt; he could see the bruise on her face and wondered what else there was. When Bobby was done, he put his things away and asked her if she could walk.

"Yeah, I think so."

"If not, there are plenty of people to help carry you, Andeo. Don't walk if it hurts."

"No, I'm fine. Honest."

Woody, Tank, Bobby, and Stephanie set out to the truck. When they reached the driveway, Tank saw the SUV sitting there. He looked at Woody, "How'd that get there? We left it down the road."

"Magic," smiled Woody.

"It's like the Kit Car," joked Stephanie, which caused the men to laugh. Sliding in the back, Woody and Stephanie clung to each other on the drive to the airport. "David?" she asked.

"Yes?"

"Where's J.T.?"

"He's back at the office with Lula. They're staying in Ranger's apartment. He's being well taken care of. He misses you."

"I miss him, too." Stephanie snuggled farther into Woody and sighed.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ranger threw Binkie in the back of the truck and handcuffed him to Rider. No one had said a word to him but they were all itching to get back to the office and lock him in a cell. Everyone wanted a piece of him, but they had promised Woody the first shot.

When they reached the airport, Rider asked, "Where are we going to put him so he's not around Stephanie?

"And Woody and Tank," Les spoke up.

"I'll see if Stephanie wants to rest on the way, if so, she can have the bedroom and we'll keep him up front with us. If not, then we'll figure it out," Ranger told them.

Ranger stepped up to Stephanie and Woody, "How are you?" he asked.

"I'm okay, I guess. I just really want to see my son. Woody told me he's at your office building. Thank you for allowing him to stay there."

"Anytime." Ranger looked around and back to Stephanie, "Would you like to rest on the way back to Miami? I have a bedroom on the plane that you could use if you'd like."

Stephanie looked at Woody with worry in her eyes. "Don't worry, Andeo. I won't let you out of my sight. If you want to rest, I'll be in there with you." Hearing that, Stephanie nodded and Ranger led them up the stairs and to the bedroom.

"Here you go. Get some rest and I'll knock on the door just before we land." Ranger shut the door and walked back to the entrance. Nodding to Rider, he watched as Rider and Binkie ascended the stairs. Shackling Binkie to the bar at the front of the plane, Rider sat down next to him but refused to engage in conversation.

Stephanie sat in the chair next to the bed and held Woody's hand while the plane took off. Looking at Woody, she asked, "Did you mean what you said?" Not fully understanding, Woody looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Stephanie tried to find a way to tell him without putting him on the spot incase he didn't really mean it.

"I heard what you said to Joe about J.T.," she whispered.

"That?" She nodded. "Andeo, I meant every word of it. I love that little boy more than anyone, beside you, could. I don't think I could love him more if it were my DNA flowing through his body."

"You're the first person to ever say that. How'd I get so lucky?" Stephanie asked him as he stood up and walked to her.

"I'd say I'm the lucky one; I have a smart, beautiful girlfriend and a fun, loving, handsome son. And, Andeo, I do consider him my son. I know we haven't been together long, but I can't picture my life without the two of you in it."

Stephanie took his hand and stood up, "I need to tell you something." Woody nodded and waited. "Since Binkie took me, I've done some thinking. A lot about my son, about you, and about my life." Taking a deep breath, Stephanie looked up into his eyes, "I don't want to strip and dance anymore for anyone other than you. I want to quit my job."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Woody wrapped her in his arms, "You've no idea how much I've wanted to hear that since I met you."

"Why'd you never say anything?"

"Seriously? How could I? What would I say, 'Steph, I want you to quit stripping for people.' I don't think that would have gone over well; that was how I met you, it was how you provided for you and J.T. I couldn't ask you to stop that just because I was in love with you. You'd have hated me for it."

Nodding, she agreed, "I guess I see your point. But, you're really okay with me stopping?" Woody smiled and nodded. "I guess I need to find a new job; but I have no clue what to do. I need regular hours so I can have time with J.T., yet make enough money to keep my place… that is if Todd will let me since I won't be working for him anymore."

"If he doesn't allow you to still live there, we'll find you something else, but I'm sure that won't be the case." Just as Woody was about to ask something, there was a knock at the door. Standing up, Woody opened the door and saw Tank on the other side.

"How's she doing?" Tank asked.

"Ask her yourself," Woody said as he moved so Tank could enter.

Tank looked at Stephanie, "How're you doing, Little Girl?"

"I'll be okay once I see my son." Deciding to tell Tank, Stephanie said, "Why don't you sit down for a few minutes. I have something I need to tell you."

Tank sat down as Woody stood behind Stephanie with his hands on her shoulders. "Tank, I've done a lot of thinking and have decided that I'm leaving The Play House and stripping all together. This really opened my eyes and I can't do this again. I can't put my son through this again."

"I understand," Tank told her as he took her hand in his massive ones. "I always knew you'd stop at some point. I just wish it hadn't been because of this. I wish it had been some better reason. I'm going to miss you."

"You can still come over to see me and J.T. I'll still come to Friday nights a few times a month. We'll see each other, don't worry about that. Besides, I can't take Mr. T from J.T." she laughed.

"When are you telling Todd?"

"First thing tomorrow." Tank nodded, stood to kiss her cheek, and left the room.

When the plane landed back in Miami, Rider took Binkie off first and shoved him in the back of the waiting SUV. After he was shackled to the bars, Lester and Rider hopped in the front and drove to the office.

Ranger, Tank, Woody, and Stephanie rode in the second SUV. On the way, Ranger over heard Woody and Stephanie talking about a new job. "Steph, what type of job would you like to do?"

"I don't know, really. Something with decent hours so I can spend time with my son. I need insurance and stuff like that. I'm quick to learn anything new. Can you think of anyone hiring?"

"I sure can," Ranger told her with a smile. As they pulled into the garage for Rangeman, Ranger turned in his seat, "How'd you like an office job here?"

"Here?" Stephanie asked and saw him nod. "What on earth could I do here?"

"How good are you with a computer?"

"I'm okay. I learn quickly."

"Good, come in to my office tomorrow and we'll discuss it. I'll show you the programs and what you'd be doing. If you want it, the job is yours."

"Okay. Tell you what, I'll come to your office tomorrow and we can discuss things. _If_ you feel I'm right for the job, we'll take it from there."

Ranger agreed as they all stepped from the SUV. As Woody led Stephanie to the elevator, Ranger looked at Tank, "How about you follow me up to my office."

Tank nodded and took the stairs with Ranger. When they reached the office, Ranger motioned for Tank to have a seat. "Tank, I'll be frank with you. I want you here, working for and with me."

"I have a job," Tank said.

"I know that, but honestly, how happy are you in your job?"

"I'm quite happy to make sure the women arrive at their cars safely. I like making sure they are not accosted while on stage."

"What if I were to offer you a way to guarantee that the girls will still be safe with you working here?"

"I'm listening," Tank replied.

Ranger explained to Tank that they not only apprehend skips, but also do private security. Ranger told him that they could monitor The Play House from the office and that they could add in the bouncer position as part of the regular rotation for the men. The more Tank heard, the more he liked. The more he liked, the more he was leaning towards following Stephanie and working for Rangeman.

"Tell you what," Tank offered, "if Stephanie takes the job here, I'm in. I will not leave her."

"Understood," Ranger replied. He hoped he could convince Stephanie to take the position with Rangeman so he could have both her and Tank on-board. He really liked working with Tank during the rescue of Stephanie and knew they'd get along great.


	17. Chapter 17

_Here it is... the final chapter of Under the Clothes. Thank you all for the reveiws, alerts, and adds. A BIG Thank you goes out to Amy (Stephfan6511) for helping me on this. I really appreciate it and can't wait to work with you again!_

_Not sure when my next story will be ready to go... give me a couple of weeks to clear my head from this and think of something new. I hope you'll be around to read!_

Stephanie and J.T. clung to each other all night in Woody's bed. Woody had talked them into staying the night at Rangeman with him. While he wanted to sleep next to Stephanie, he volunteered to take the couch while the mother and son shared the bedroom. He knew J.T. was going to have a hard time letting his mother out of his sight for the next few days; he'd never been without her for more than a few hours at a time.

Before Woody crashed on the couch, he checked on the occupants of his bed. Stephanie was laying on her back with J.T. resting his head on her chest. Leaning down, he kissed J.T.'s head and whispered, "Good night, son." Moving gently to Stephanie, he kissed her forehead and realized her eyes were open, "I didn't mean to wake you," he whispered.

"You didn't. I've been laying here thinking about the past twenty-four hours and how much my life has changed. It could have turned out so different."

Woody wiped her tear away before it hit the pillow, "You're safe here and so is J.T. I won't let anything happen to you." Kissing her lips gently, he pulled the covers up over J.T. and looked back at Stephanie, "I'll be on the couch if you need anything."

"David?" Stephanie asked as he turned to leave. When he turned back she continued, "I don't want you sleeping on the couch."

"Where would you prefer I sleep?" he questioned.

"I know you'll think this is weird, but will you sleep in here with J.T. and me? I don't want to let go of my son yet, but I also need you near me."

"I'd like nothing more than to hold you all night," Woody told her as he slipped in bed beside her. After they were all situated, Woody kissed Stephanie's shoulder, "I want to let you know that I may not be here when you wake up. I have something I need to take care of downstairs in the morning. But, I will be back as soon as I can."

"Okay," she whispered.

"I'll have Maria bring breakfast for you and J.T. I'm sure she'll have something special made."

"No, I don't want to trouble her," Stephanie began saying.

"Andeo, it's no trouble. It's what she's here to do. She takes care of all the men in the building. She loved taking care of J.T. while we were rescuing you. Hell, all the men loved having J.T. in the building. Let her take care of you for breakfast, okay?" He felt Stephanie nod and then heard her breathing even out. Once he was sure she was asleep, he drifted off with her in his arms.

Woody awoke a little after four in the morning. Opening his eyes, he smiled at the people in front of him. He lay on his side with Stephanie's back against his chest and J.T.s back against Stephanie's chest. His arm was stretched out over the both of them. Part of him wanted to stay in bed like that until they all woke up, but the other part wanted to take care of business so he could spend the rest of the day with them.

After allowing himself ten minutes of holding his _family_, he decided to get out of bed and take care of things for the day. Grabbing shorts and a t-shirt on the way out of the bedroom, he slipped them on and headed to the holding cells in the basement. He knew he didn't have to call anyone to let them know he was going; he was pretty sure there'd be a line already waiting.

Opening the stairwell into the basement, he saw a few men standing against the wall. As he made his way to the front of the line, he saw the men all had the same look on their face: Revenge. Woody reached the front of the line and was shocked to see Tank standing there.

"I want him right after you," Tank told him. Woody nodded and opened the door.

Binkie was curled up in the corner, sleeping. Woody grabbed the glass of water from the table and threw it on Binkie. Sputtering, Binkie sat up, "What the fuck?" he yelled.

"It's time for you to wake up," Woody sneered as he stalked over to Binkie. "There's a long line of people who want to see you today."

"What the hell for?" Binkie asked as he stood.

"To teach you a lesson before you die," was Woody's only response before he punched Binkie in the stomach. Woody worked Binkie over before finally landing a final blow to his head and leaving the room. He really wanted to kill him, and he knew if he didn't leave the room now, Binkie would never get up again. So, against his better judgment, he left the room and allowed someone else, Tank, to enter.

Heading back up to his apartment, Woody opened the door to the sounds of laughter emanating from his bedroom. Standing in the hall, he listened for a moment and smiled when he heard, "Mommy, why we here?"

"We are here because Mr. David asked us to stay last night so he could keep us near him," Stephanie answered.

"Me like Worm Man."

"Yeah, I like him too."

Woody stepped into the bedroom and smiled, "I like the both of you as well." Bouncing on the bed, Woody grabbed J.T. and began tickling him.

"TOP!" J.T. yelled with excitement.

Woody stopped and looked at the upside down boy, "Why do I have to stop?"

"Me no like be tickle, tickle Mommy," J.T. said.

Woody let the boy down, glanced at Stephanie with a wicked look, and smiled, "I agree," he said before they both attacked Stephanie.

Stephanie squealed with delight as the three had a tickle fight until J.T. finally yelled, "TOP! Me do potty," and took off for the bathroom.

Woody grabbed Stephanie and pulled her to him, "I like this," he said. When she turned to look at him, he continued, "I liked waking up with you in my arms, J.T. near. I liked coming back from my errand this morning and finding the two of you still here. I liked coming home."

"You've always come home," she told him.

"No, I haven't. I've never come _home_. I may have returned to my apartment after a day of working, but I've never had a _home_. Not like this."

Stephanie couldn't help the tears that threatened to spill over as she replied, "I've never had a home either. J.T.'s been my life since I found out I was pregnant. While I've had him in my life and made sure we've had a roof over our head, it's never been an actual home. I feel that when I'm with you."

J.T. had snuck back in the room and climbed up on the bed. Wrapping his arms around Worm Man, he asked, "When I det tall you Daddy?"

Stephanie and Woody stopped and stared at each other. Stephanie worried that J.T. may have upset David. Woody worried that he may upset Stephanie with his answer. Woody pulled J.T. around and sat him on his lap. Reaching out for Stephanie's hand, Woody looked at them both and smiled. "J.T., I'd be honored to have you call me Daddy anytime you want, but only if it's okay with your mommy."

They both looked at Stephanie and she had tears slowly rolling down her face. Unable to find her voice, all she could do was nod. J.T. yelled so loud, Woody thought for sure the men were going to come storming into his apartment to find out what was wrong.

"I have a Mommy AND a Daddy!" J.T. yelled as he ran around the room.

With a knock to the door, Woody walked to the living room and opened it to see Maria standing there with the wheeled cart full of food. "Morning, Woody," she said as she walked in.

"Morning, Maria. Thank you for breakfast." Maria set the food out and smiled at J.T. running around still. After she left, Woody set food out for J.T. and walked down the hall to the bedroom. Finding Stephanie still sitting on the bed, Woody walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, "I hope I didn't upset you."

"No, you didn't. I'll admit I was worried when J.T. asked you that, and shocked at your answer, but definitely not upset." Turning around, she smiled and leaned up to give Woody a kiss.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Stephanie knocked on Ranger's door and waited. When the door opened, she smiled at the man dressed in all black, "Hi, Ranger," she said as she stepped into his office.

"Morning, Stephanie. Please have a seat." As Stephanie sat down, Ranger took a moment and said a silent prayer that she'd say yes to working for him; he really wanted her and Tank to be part of their team.

"I've given your offer a lot of thought," Stephanie started. "As much as I want to say I'm not qualified to work for you, I'd like to see what it is I'd be doing. I'm a fast learner, so hopefully I'll be able to catch on quickly."

Ranger looked at Stephanie and smirked, "You'll mostly be doing searches for us."

"What types of searches?"

"Trying to find out where we can capture FTA's, looking for information on prospective clients, stuff like that."

Stephanie thought about it for a few more minutes, "What would my hours be? I need to be available for my son."

"Hours would be negotiable. Mostly, as long as your work is done, you can set your own hours. There may be times when we need the info ASAP and you'd be required to work a little longer, but that would be few and far between." Ranger sat back in his chair and waited for more questions.

"I only have one other question before I'm ready to give my answer." Ranger nodded and she continued, "Do you know of any good babysitters?"

Ranger laughed, "I'm not sure of babysitters, but I do know Maria is good with kids. She had a wonderful time with your son. He seemed to like helping her deliver things and keeping her company."

"Yeah, he loves to help out with cleaning. I don't know how I got so lucky on that, but that child loves to clean. I swear he probably has the cleanest room of any child under the age of ten."

Ranger nodded, "I can see that. Maria said he helped her pass out the clean linens to all the apartments and stock the break room." Leaning forward, Ranger suggested, "How would you feel if he were to stay around here and _help_ out from time to time? I'm sure Maria would love to have him around helping her; she loves to bake. And I think some of the men could come up with small assignments for him to do."

"Ranger, I'm sure you and your men don't want a little child running under foot. I'll find someone to watch him…"

"It's no problem. Consider it, okay?"

Stephanie nodded and smiled, "So, what else is there to discuss?"

Sliding a folder across the table, Ranger told her, "Here is your contract. It outlines your salary, benefits, and the guidelines for working here."

Stephanie skimmed it and tried not to look surprised at the salary and benefits. It was more than she ever thought about making before. "I'll take it," she blurted out causing Ranger to smile more than she'd seen so far.

"Welcome to Rangeman," he said as he stood and shook her hand. "I'll get you passed through HR and get you set up." As they were heading to the door, there was a knock. Opening it, Ranger saw Tank standing there, "Just in time, my man," he said as he shook Tank's hand.

"Hey Little Girl," Tank said as he hugged Stephanie.

"Hey Big Guy, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see a man about a job," he joked.

"Me, too," she told him. "I just accepted an offer."

After showing Tank and Stephanie where to get their paperwork, badges, keys, and ID's, Ranger headed to the basement. It was his turn for torture time.

/\/\/\/\/\

Feeling his phone vibrate, Woody looked down and smiled. _He's all yours to finish_.

Rubbing his hands together, he walked to the break room where he heard the voices he was looking for. Stepping in, he saw Stephanie and J.T. talking with Lester, "Yeah, he said me tan tall him Daddy."

"I sure did," Woody said as he picked J.T. up and twirled him around. Walking over to Stephanie, he dropped a quick kiss to her head, "I need to take care of something and then I'll be free for the night. Dinner out?"

"Sure, sounds good," she said as she took J.T. from his arms. "Go do what you need and then come find us."

Woody looked at Lester and did some sort of silent communication before leaving the room. Lester knew where Woody was heading and understood that Stephanie didn't know Binkie was downstairs.

Woody opened the door and was surprised to see Binkie chained to the chair. Looking at him, he took in his injuries; two swollen black eyes, busted lips, shoulder at an unusual angle, and fingers that looked to be broken. He wasn't sure of internal injuries, but he was sure there were some.

Looking at Binkie, Woody wondered how he was still alive, but he knew his co-workers enough to know they knew when to quit. Woody stepped up in front of Binkie and waited for him to look up, "You ready to die yet?" Binkie, unable to talk, shook his head. "Too bad, because I'm ready to put you out of our misery. What you did to Stephanie is unacceptable. You will never hurt her or anyone else ever again."

Woody unshackled Binkie, "I'm the last face you'll ever see," he said as he used Binkie's body as a punching bag before delivering the final blow that ended Binkie's life. Racing back upstairs, Woody took a shower in the gym so he didn't have to face Stephanie before he was cleaned up.

After his shower, he found Stephanie and J.T. in the break room waiting for him.

EPILOGUE

Stephanie and Woody had been married for eight months; Woody popped the question at dinner the night she accepted the job offer with Rangeman. Stephanie and Woody had found and purchased a house just a few miles from Rangeman and they allowed J.T. to paint his room any color he wanted, as long as it wasn't black… it had quickly become his favorite color after spending the day at Rangeman.

No one ever mentioned Joe Morelli or Binkie after Stephanie was rescued. She did eventually ask Woody what happened to Binkie, but all he told her was she'd never have to worry about him again.

Shortly after the wedding, J.T. began calling Woody "Daddy." The title became official two months after the nuptials.

It was the day of the annual Rangeman beach party and J.T. had a new t-shirt he couldn't wait to show off to the guys. Walking along the beach, he found his group of friends and ran ahead of his parents. Reaching Lester, he yelled so everyone would look at him as he showed off his newest favorite t-shirt, which read: Joshua Todd Branson is going to be a big brother.

Of course, while the men were offering their congratulations, Woody took off his button up shirt to reveal his hidden t-shirt: Daddy of three.

Tank was the first one to read the shirt, "God help us all; they're having twins!"


End file.
